In High Demand
by Misti D
Summary: With the end of the war, Hermione thought the only thing she had to worry about was her last year at Hogwarts.That was, until the day they received the letters from the Ministry that informed them they had a year to fall in love..or leave.
1. Chapter 1

In High Demand

"You filthy mudblood! Crucio!" Bellitrix Lastrange screamed.

The girl screamed in agony, falling to the ground.

"Crucio!" the Death Eater cursed her again.

The girl screamed again, in excrusiating pain.

"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up," someone said, soothingly, moving the hair off of her sweaty forehead.

Hermione Granger sat up, panting, frantically trying to get her bareings.

"You have the same nightmare?" Ginny asked sympathitically.

Hermione only nodded, grabbing the glass of water, to trying to wet her painfully dry throat.

"What time is it?" hermione wondered. She could see a soft light beginning to make its way through the window of the Burrow.

"About six thirty," Ginny answered, moving from the edge of Hermione's bed to her own. Ginny yawned, and pulled her covers back over her.

"Well, at least its not the middle of the night," Hermione said. "I'm sorry I woke you again."

"Don't worry about it," Ginny assured her yawning once again. "I'm going to get a few more hours of sleep. Are you okay?"

"Of course," Hermione insisted standing and walking over to the dresser that held some of her clothes. "I think that I'll just grab a quick shower before everyone else gets up."

"Hmmm," the half asleep red head mumbled.

Hermione smiled and shook her head, amazed at how quickly all of the Weasley's could just fall asleep. Once she was awake, it took her forever to go back to sleep.

She quietly made her way own the hall to the bathroom. She heard the sound of th toliet flushing and sighed. She stood against the wall, wishing she had waited a few minutes before coming to take a shower. She knew that her eyes were red from crying and that her hair was matted in place from the sweat that always accompanied the dream.

The light went off and the door opened a small squeaking sound escaping from its hinges. Hermione saw a tall figure headed the way that she had just come from. She smiled, knowing who it was, as she watched the twin pass by her. She quietly turned and tried to make her way into the bathroom.

"You have another nightmare?" he turned to ask, startling her.

"How did you know?" Hermione wondered.

"That you had a bad dream? Or that you were waiting for the loo?" he asked, quietly walking towards her so that she could hear him.

"Both," Hermione answered, grinning.

"Well, seeing that our room is next to yours and the walls are thin, I heard you scream," he started.

"I'm sorry," Hermione began but stopped when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be sorry, Mione. We've just been through a war and you went through more then most of us. Now, go get your shower," he ordered gently.

Hermione turned to walk into the bathroom and stopped, turning toward the man who was waiting for her to close the door.

"George, how did you know I was here?" she wondered, realizing he didn't answer.

"Perhaps you'll never know," he answered mysteriously, turning to walk back to the room he shared with Fred.

Hermione rolled her eyes and closed the door. The shower was always a good place for Hermione to think.

The past few months had been mentally and physically challening for everyone. With the end of the war, came gathering the people who had given their lifes for a cause they believed in so much. When Hermione and George had seen Fred laying there, lifeless, it had been all that she could to not to faint. But when they got closer, they could feel his pulse and had taken him directly to St. Mungo's. Fred had made a speedy recover and all had been set right in the Weasley household. Molly, however, had insisted for the twins and Charlie to move back into the Burrow and the boys had complied with out too much of a fit.

Hermione had made her way to Austrilla to restore the memory of her parents. They had been furiousl with her, for alltering their memories, even though it had been necessary for their own safety. Her father had told her never to come back, sating that they could handle anymore 'crazy witch nonsense.' Harry and Ron had found her, weeping in the middle of a playground near her childhood home. They had gone looking for her when she hadn't returned to the Burrow at the time she said she would. Her friends, along with the Weasley's, had made her feel okay with the situation, reminding her that she had a family there with them.

Hermione sighed as she rinsed out the shampoo that was thick in her hair. She cleared her mind, trying despreatly to forget that day. She turned her thoughts back to more pressing matters, such as the up coming year at Hogwarts. All seventh years from the previous year had been asked to return, seeing that the education that they had been given the year before wasn't up to Hogwarts standard. Professor McGonagal had been named the Head Mistress of the school and had made several changes, according to the letters they had recieved just the day before. There would still be prefects, to help see the younger students along, but there would be no Head Boy or Head Girl. The reason behind this, the letter from Hogwarts had stated, was 'to ensure every student has the chance to be just that-a student.' There had been a small, personally hand written note in her envelop from the professor apoligizing that shw ould not be Head Girl. Hermione had laughed, because she honestly didn't care. _I could go for a year without any stress, _had been her exact thought.

"Hey, could you hurry up in there? I've got to go!" came a voice identical to the person she had spoken to earlier.

"Sorry!" she called out, quickly turning off the water and grabbing a towel.

"Oh, Hermione, is that you?" Fred asked.

"Yes, Fred. I'm nearly through," she replied grabbing her tooth brush and violently attacking her teeth.

"You know," Fre said quietly thought the crack that was in the door. "You could just let me in...I promise to close my eyes."

Hermione chocked on ehr tooth paste, grabbing a cup and rinsing her mouth out. She quickly grabbed her clothes and wrapped herself in her towel. Opening the bathroom door, she was greeted with a smirking Fred.

"Good morning," he greeted the angry women in his best French accent. "You didn't have to get all dressed up for me."

Hermione slapped Fred on the arm, silently curisng herself for not having her wand with her.

"I didn't know that you liked it rough," he couldn't help but tease her one more time, before slamming and locking the door, trying to get away from Hermione.

Fuming, she turned to stomp back to the room she shared with Ginny when she ran into someone.

"Oi!" the human baracaide exclaimed, caught off guard by the half naked women that stood in front of him.

"Sorry, Charlie. I didn't see you there," she replied quietly, blushing. She still felt shy around the second oldest Weasley and being half naked didn't help the situation.

"Thats quite alright," he replied akwardly, trying desperatly not to stare at the attractive women in front of him.

"Well, I guess," she stammard stupidly, pointing toward her bedroom door.

"Of course," Charlie replied, stepping out of her way.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled, feeling eyes on her as she made her way into the room and shutting the door behing her.

"A beauty, isn't she," a voice startled Charlie, bringing him back to reality.

"What? Huh? Oh, move Fred, I've got to go," he ordered his little brother out of the way.

"Of course," Fred mimicked the action Charlie had used just moments before, causing the older Weasley to punch him in the guy.

"Second beating this morning," Fred mused as he walked to his room, grinning. "Not a bad start to the day."

Hermione, leaning against the door, had heard the whole thing and growled, exasperated. She quickly looked over at Ginny's bed and saw that she was still fast asleep.

"The first think I'm going to do next summer is find me a flat of my own!" Hermione exclaimed, as she furiously got ready for the day.

"Good morning, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley greeted the girl she thought of as her second daughter.

"Morning, Mrs. Weasley," she replied, grinning as she took a seat at the breakfast table.

"Can I help you with anything?" Hermione offered, as she was the only other person downstairs.

"No, not at all,dear. Was Ginny awake? We need to make a trip to Diagon Alley to get a few things for all of you," Mrs. Weasley replied, stirring four things at once with the help of magic. Hermione never got tired of watching magic at work.

"Yes, Ginny was getting dressed when I came down," Hermione answered as a thunder of foot steps came down the stairs.

"Morning boys," Mrs. Weasley greeted the new editions to the room, not bothering to turn and see who entered.

"Good morning, Mum," Fred replied, taking the seat in front of Hermione. "Morning Mione," he grinned at the girl directly across from him. She pretended she didn't notice and continued watching the spoons circle around the skillets and pots. She was still mad at him for teasing her earlier.

"Come on, Mione. I was just messing around. You just make it too easy to tease," Fred replied.

"Let her be, Fred," Mrs. Weasley ordered as she flung plates at him. "Put these around. George, put the silverware around, please."

Hermione watched, amused as the two pranksters did what they were told, without so much as a complaint. She grinned, enjoying the fact that they were still terrified of the wrath of Molly Weasley. She felt someone sit down beside her and turned to see who it was, assuming it was Ginny.

"Oh," the word escaped her mouth before she could stop it. She silently cursed her mouth, wishing itwouldn't have a mind of its own so often.

Charlie chuckled, holding a cup of coffee out for her to except. "Good morning to you too, Hermione," he greeted her, still 'too new' to use the name almost everyone in the family used for the 'brightest witch of their age'.

"Sorry," she found herself saying to him for the second time that morning. "Thanks for the coffee," she added, pleased that she sounded normal, for once.

"Your welcome," he replied, smiling.

"Good morning," Ginny greeted the room as she sat on the other side of Hermione, wondering why Charlie had chosen her usual seat.

"Morning," coursed through the room.

"Mione, heres you some coff...oh you already have some," George replied, wondering how the cup she was holding had gotten there. When he had looked a few moments before, she didn't have her usual cup in front of her.

"Looks like someone beat you to it," Fred observed, laughing as he took the seat he had earlier vacated.

"I'll take it," Ginny offered, wondering what was with her brothers this morning.

They all heard another round of feet racing down the stairs. Harry and Ron laughed as they found seats at the almost full table.

"What's funny?" Ginny asked her boyfriend as he sat next to her.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Ron answered before his best mate could. _Ginny doesn't need to know everything, _Ron thought reaching for a piece of bacon that was in front of him.

"Good, everyone is here," Mrs. Weasley replied, sticking her head out of the open kitchen window. "Arthur, breakfast."

"I'm right here, love," he replied, coming up behind his wife and kissing her neck.

"Ugh, could you please get a room," Ron complained.

"You're just jealous, Ronald," Ginny definded her parents, who took their normal seats.

"What do you mean," Ron started, growing more angry by the second.

"Tuck in," Mrs. Weasley declared stopping the fight before it got out of hand.

Converstation centered mostly around the trip they would be taking to get the remaining things they would need. The books had been a free gift from the ministry for 'The Golden Trio'. Ginny had to get her books, but all the other three school bond people would need was parchment, quills and ink.

Fred and George would be going to their sucessful shop, looking to supply Hogwarts students with 'All their Joking Needs'. Charlie, who had taken a brack from his duties in Romania, would be helping Hagrid with his duties as Magical Creatures professor.

As they were finishing off their meal, a handful of owls swooped into the dining room, dropping envelops in front of everyone, except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"What's that?" Arther wondered, looking over at the envelope Ron had in his hands.

"I don't know," his youngest son answered, looking over the envelope. It was a beige, fancy envelope that looked similar to their Hogwarts letters, but instead of the Hogwarts crest, it was closed with the Ministry of Magic seal.

"Its from the Ministry," Hermione replied, opening her letter.

"I wonder what it says," Ginny mused.

Charlie gasped, having opened it without all of the theatrics of his family.

"Can they do this?" Fred asked, for once not at all joking about the situation.

"Looks like they have," George concluded.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley squeaked, not being able to stand the suspense of the matter.

Charlie handed his mother the letter and sighed not sure what he was going to do.

"What is it Molly?" Auther asked gently, watching the color fade from his wives face.

"They have to get married," she whispered, grabbing her chest.

"Who has to get married?" he demanded, looking over at Harry and Ginny, who didn't seem as upset about the letter as the rest.

"ALL of them!" she exclaimed and then polietly fainted, falling quickly to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys. So here is chapter 2. I don't own anything. **

Chapter 2

"Can I get you anything else, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked as she handed her a cup of tea.

After Mrs. Weasley had fainted, Mr. Weasley had levitated his wife to the couch while the children quickly started clearing off the table, so that she could rest when she came around. She soon sat straight up and wondered if she had been dreaming when she read the letter. When Mr. Weasley had assured her that it was real, she had burst into tears.

Now they sat around the living room, starring at one another, wondering what was going to happen next.

"We should get to the shop," George announced, not wanting to spend one more minute in the house then he had to.

"Yes, I'm sure we'll be quite busy today," Fred agreed, standing up.

"Boys," Mrs. Weasley called quietly, wiping her blood shot eyes. "Could you buy the things that are on that list? I don't think I can go today. Not after thing," she started crying, softly this time.

Harry and Hermione stood up, digging in their pockets to give the twins money for their needs.

"Your money's no good," Fred insisted, not taking the coins that harry was trying to hand him.

"I've got it, Mione," George assured the brown haired girl.

"Let me give you just a little," she insisted.

"No, I'll get it," George said as he walked out the back door and apparated away. Hermione turned to Fred, trying to give him a few coins.

Fred grinned for the first time since the owls dropped the letters off. "No way. He would kill me! But," he said quietly, leaning close to her. "If you must do something, you could buy us a present," he teased.

Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. _Leave it to Fred to tease at a time like this, _she thought as she walked back into the living room, where Ginny was trying to comfort their mother.

"Arthur, is this even legal?" Mrs. Weasley wondered, looking over at her husband.

"If they passed the lay, then it is, love," he answered, looking down at Fred's letter.

"Can't you got talk to someone at the Ministry? See if out good name could change all of this?" Molly pleaded.

"Of course, darling," Arthur agreed, kissing her forehead before grabbing his coat and hat. Before he walked out, he turned to Charlie.

"Watch out for her," he mouthed, nodding toward his wife. Charlie nodded and sat on the other side of his mother.

It was quiet for a few moments, all of them in their own thoughts.

Hermione picked up the letter and read if for the tenth time.

From the office of the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.

To whom it may concern,

As you all know, there were many deaths in our world during the recent war. It has come to my attention that there are less wizards in the world now then there have ever been. Therefore, my advisers and I have passed a lay that, we hope, will help increase our population substantially. Attached is a copy of the law and all it in tales. I must add, that if you do not comply with this new lay, you will be permanently exiled from the wizarding world, never to return.

I know this will not be a popular lay, but it must be done to insure the growth and future of the magical world.

Sincerely,

Cornelius Fudge

Minister of Magic.

"This is really absurd," Hermione stated after reading the letter again.

"I agree, but what else can we do?" Harry asked, sitting in an arm chair near the fireplace.

"I don't know," was all Hermione could reply as she looked over her copy of the law.

_By August of next year all wizards and witches, ages 17 to 35, must be engaged to be married. By December of the same year, all wizards and witches, ages 17 to 35, must be married. All couples must try to conceive a child in the following year. If, for medical reasons ONLY, you are not able to conceive, you will not be exiled from the wizarding world and will have the opportunity to adopt from any wizarding orphanage._

_All men, ages 17 to 35, may potetion up to five witches. If all five except your purposal, the one who was potetioned first will be your fiancee. Deadline for potetions to be sent is March of next year._

_All ladies, ages 17 to 35, have complete say in who they marry, unless they do not receive a petition before March of next year. If this occurs, all wizards and witches who have not been engaged, will be placed in an arranged marriage._

**APPROVED BY: **Cornelius Fudge.

"I wish Dumbledore was still around," Ron mumbled.

"Maybe Professor McGonagall can do something," Ginny suggested.

"I'll owl her," Hermione decided, starting to stand to go get parchment when an owl flew through the room and dropped an envelope in Mrs. Weasley's lap.

"I wonder who this could be from," Mrs. Weasley sniffiled. She quietly opened her letter and read it quickly.

"Whose it from, Mum," Ginny asked as their mother placed the letter on the coffee table in front of her.

"Minerva," she answered, sighing. She looked around the room, at the curious faces and stood. "Go ahead and read it, if you like."

"Do you need help, Mum?" Charlie asked, standing too.

"Sit down, child. I'm going to go fix more tea for everyone," she replied as she walked into the kitchen.

"Read it out loud, please," Charlie said taking his seat back on the couch. Ron and Harry moved closer so they could hear what it said.

"You read it Hermione. You're better at things like that," Ginny insisted, handing her Friend the letter.

"Alright," Hermione agreed, clearing her throat.

"Dearest Molly," Hermione read.

_By now I'm sure that all of your children, along with Hermione and Harry have received the law from the ministry. I know that you are very upset, as was I, but there is nothing that can change Cornelius' mind. I've been trying to for a week now and if anything, he's become much more pig headed about the whole thing._

_All we can do now is try and help these children that we love so dearly. We need to teach these boys the art of romance and help our girls to make the right decision. If you need anything, please send an owl and I'll be there._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva_

"The art of romance?" Ron asked, smirking, trying not to laugh. "Why would we need to learn romance? I mean the girls need to get married too. Its not like they have a choice."

"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley barked as she came in the living room, levitating a tray of tea and chocolate chip cookies. "I'll have you know that you will learn to be romantic, if it's the last thing I do."

"But why? They have to," Ron protested, but was cut off by his mother.

"Be married too, yes. But wouldn't it be better if you were in love with the girl? If you actually had some feelings for her, Ronald?"

"I guess," he mumbled.

Mrs. Weasley sighed as she passed around the tea.

"I'm sorry for the way I reacted earlier," she started, looking around the room. "Its just, its going to be quite odd; all of my children getting married in the next year or so. I'm quite surprised you didn't make a bigger deal of it."

"I think we are all still in a state of shock," Charlie answered, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"I'm sure you are," Mrs. Weasley replied patting her son's led. She looked over at Harry who wasn't sitting in his normal seat next to Ginny. "Are you alright, Harry?"

"What?" he wondered, startled. "Oh yes. I'm fine, thank you," he replied, blushing.

Hermione smirked, pretty sure that she knew where 'the-boy-who-lived' had been for the past few moments. _I don't think he'll be sending more then one petition out, _she thought smiling, as she walked her cup into the sink. Hermione looked out the kitchen window, her wind wondering.

She had no clue what she was going to do. She had worked as hard for the past 7 years, even risking her own life to make the wizarding world a safer place for everyone. Hermione loved everything about magic and she loved everything about this world. But she didn't want an arranged marriage and she was almost sure that she would not be receiving any petition. She sighed as she watched one of the gnomes chasing a squirrel around the back yard.

"A knut for your thoughts," Ginny's voice startled Hermione. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No, I'm alright," Hermione assured her friend, taking the cup from her hands. She turned back toward the sink and began scrubbing the dishes that were in the sink.

"You know, you are of age to use magic for that sort of thing," Ginny teased the brown haired girl.

"Oh, I know," she replied. "Busy hands just keeps my mind from wondering," Hermione admitted.

"What are your thoughts on this 'law'?" Ginny wondered, drying the dishes and putting them away.

"I don't know. I guess I understand a little bit on why they passed the law, but couldn't they have gone about it a different way? They could have given us two or even three years to find someone," she paused scrubbing away at a cup. "What about the poor girls who don't receive a petition? Their only option is an arranged marriage or banishment? That doesn't seem fair," Hermione add quietly, turning away from Ginny to try and hid the blush that was creeping slowly up her cheeks.

"You don't think you're going to recieve any potetions,do you?" Ginny exclaimed, causing Hermione to drop and break the glass that was in her hand.

"Shh!" Hermione demanded, looking into the living room to make sure no one heard. She then pulled out her wand and cleaned up the broken cup and cleaned the remaining dishes.

"Mum's giving them their first lesson on 'romance', so they won't be paying any attention," Ginny informed her."Hermione Jean Granger! I can't believe that you would think for one minute that no one would petition you," she scolded one of her best friends.

"Why would they?" Hermione quietly asked, in a rare moment of self loathing. "I'm muggle born, for one thing. I can be a big know it all, for another. And thirdly, I'm not that pretty," she looked down at her hand self concisely, hating feeling this way.

Ginny shook her head and laughed, startling Hermione. "For being the brightest witch of our age, you really can be thick headed, sometimes," she teased, receiving a small smile for her efforts."Seriously, though, Mione. Guys would be crazy not to petition you. For one, you may be muggle born, but no one worth half a brain would care. Especially after all you did in the war. Most people don't see you as a big know it all, not any more. They see you as a brilliant witch. And Mione, you are very pretty. Viktor Krum could have asked anyone to the Yule Ball and he chose you, for Merlin's sake," Ginny exclaimed, laughing.

"I guess I'm just being self concise," Hermione replied, smiling.

"We all can be like that," the red head replied. "I know of one petition you'll be getting."

Hermione grabbed one of the clean glasses and walked over to the ice box for some pumpkin juice. "Who?" she asked, taking a drink.

"Ronald," Ginny answered slyly, an evil grin on her lips.

Pumpkin juice spewed all over Ginny as Hermione chocked. Ginny laughed, pulling her wand out to clean up the mess.

"You alright, Hermione?" Mr. Weasley asked concerned as he walked through the back door.

"Fine, Mr. Weasley. Thank you," she replied, glaring at the smirking she devil.

"Alright, then," he said as he walked into the living room.

"You know full well that Ron and I dated for barely a week when we realized we would be a horrible match. We are more like brother and sister now, Ginevra," Hermione whispered angrily.

"Oh, I know," she replied as she sat next to her mother.

"You know what?" Charlie wondered as he took in the smirk on his sisters face and the scowl on Hermione's.

"Well," Ginny started.

"It was nothing," Hermione assured him, then quickly turned to Mr. Weasley. "What did you find out at the Ministry, sir?"

Arthur looked at the girls strangely, not understanding them in the least, then shock his head. _I probably never will, _he thought before answering the question. "There's nothing really that can be done. Fudge thought he was being quite nice, allowing a year to be engaged. He actually said, 'A year is more then enough time to fall in love, Arthur. Just you wait and see. By the end of next year, all your boys will be quite happy,'" he mimicked the Minister of Magic, shaking his head.

"The gule of that man," Molly fumed, standing to gather the remaining cups. "Well, we can't do anything about it. Let's not sit and mope all day."

"Your mother's right. Boy's, why don't you come help me work on the car for a bit?" Mr. Weasley suggested.

Later that evening, they all sat to have an enormous dinner. Mrs. Weasley had put all of her aggresion at the Ministry to good use, fixing everones favorite dish.

The day had been a pleasant one, even with the way the morning had started. Ginny and Hermione had read and talked about boys, even talking just a moment about weddings. Althought Hermione was not at all happy about being forced to marry, she couldn't help but think about the wedding itself. She was, after all, a girl.

George and Fred had come home right before dinner, arms full of the packages they had purchased for the younger members of the family and for Harry and Hermione.

"Are you sure you won't take any money for that?" Hermione asked George, who was sitting next to her. She was surrounded by Weasley boys this evening, with Charlie on the other side and Fred across from her.

"Yes, I'm sure," George assured her, passing the rolls. "It wasn't even that much."

"Well, thank you," she responded, smiling.

Mrs. Weasley, was watching the interaction between Hermione and her sons and grinned broadly. Charlie was telling her a fascinating story about his adventures in Romania, while George and Fred keep finding a joke here or there to add to the conversation. She kicked her husbands foot gently, trying to get his attention. He looked at her, knowing not to voice anything as this was the way that they had communicated for years with a table full of kids. Molly nodded toward where Hermione and the boys sat. Mr. Weasley grinned and nodded his understanding.

"So Hermione," Mrs. Weasley started in a voice that terrified the older boys. She was quickly interrupted by two gorgeous owls, swooping into the opened window.

"Oh my," Mrs. Weasley gasped as the owls delivered a rolled up parchment with emerald green ribbon, one to Ginny and one to Hermione.

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Charlie exclaimed, throwing his napkin on the table.

"We only just got the letter today," George agreed, as white as Nearly Headless Nick.

"Someones getting a head start," Fred observed, taking a big bite of mashed potato's.

"Shut it!" George and Charlie spat at Fred, sounding more like twins then they ever had.

"Well, whose it from?" Harry wondered quietly, looking at the rolled up parchment that was in his girlfriends hand.

Hermione and Ginny looked at one another and nodded, silently deciding they would open it at the same time. Everyone could tell that it was from the same wizard.

Hermione gasped as Ginny began laughing hysterically.

"Well?" Ron demanded, watching Hermione look as if she was going to faint.

"Whose it from?" Mr. Weasley asked his hysterical daughter.

Ginny grabbed her napkin and wiped her eyes trying to get a grip. Then she answered,"Draco Freakin Malfoy."

**So, what did you think? Please,please, please review. If you know my writing, this is the quickest I have EVER updated. I want to say I'm so sorry for chapter one and all of its typos and spelling errors. I uploaded the wrong one. Oops. :) Anywho, thanks for all of the alerts and everything. I hope to get a review from you today. :) Happy Reading. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi all! Heres chapter 3! I own nothing. **

Chapter 3

"What did you just say?" Harry asked quietly, his face turning red at the thought of the ferret anywhere near his girlfriend or Hermione.

"Draco Malfoy," Hermione repeated, finally finding her voice. She looked down at the piece of parchment that was in her hand.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I know that this letter maybe a shock to you. I would be shocked if it wasn't. When I received the owl this morning from the Ministry, I can honestly say that the first name I thought of was yours. I know that we've had our differences over the last seven years, but as you know, I've changed._

_I testified against my father and other Death Eaters, making sure that none of them ever saw the light of day again. Since the end of the trials, I've studied up on the beginning of where prejuduces in out world began towards muggles and muggleborns. I've decided to become an advocate for making it easier for muggle born wizards and witches to enter our world. I have many ideas and I hope that you will allow me the chance to share them with you._

_All of that being said, yes, I have sent other potetions off to other witches. I'm sure, being that you are at the Weasley house, you know that I sent one to Ginny. If you would like, I'll give you the name of the other two as well._

_Hermione, I'm asking you to consider giving me a chance to prove to you that I'm a better man over the next few months. If you find it in your heart to do so, please send me word so that I may begin proving myself to you at once. I may have sent three other petition's off, but you are the one I'm hoping for._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Draco Malfoy._

"Hermione!" Ginny shouted, bringing the blushing witch back to the conversation at the dinner table.

"I'm sorry," she replied rather breathlessly."I was reading his letter."

"Why?" Harry wondered angrily.

"The usual reason for reading something is to find out what it has to say, Harry," Hermione replied coolly to her best friend.

"I'm aware of that," he spat back, fuming.

"I believe what he wanted to know was why you read it, seeing that there's really no way that you'll be excepting his petition. I mean, he's Malfoy," Ron stated, trying to sound diplomatic.

"He IS Malfoy, yes. But that doesn't mean that I wouldn't consider excepting it," Hermione answered.

"What?" Harry and Ron roared together.

"You don't want to be with Malfoy,do you?" George asked, dumbfounded.

"Why would you even consider it?" Charlie wondered, seemingly only curious.

"Boys!" Mrs. Weasley started angrily, not liking at all how her dinner was ending.

"No, its quite all right," Hermione assured the women who had shown her so much hospitality. Then, sending a death glare towards Harry and Ron, she said, "In case you didn't hear correctly, I said that I will consider the petition, even though its from Malfoy." Moving her attention to George, she added, "At this point, no I don't want to be with him, but," she paused and looked at Charlie. "I would consider it, because I really have no other chose right now, do I?" Not wanting people to see her cry, but knowing it was too late, she threw her napkin on her plate and ran up the stairs to the room she shared with Ginny and collapsed on the bed, crying.

Meanwhile downstairs, the boys where getting an ear full from one rather pissed off Ginny Weasley.

"You're all nothing but stupid gits, you know that, right," she exploded as soon as she heard the door close upstairs.

"Ginny, I," Harry started, trying to grab her hand. Ginny quickly stood and moved away from her boyfriend.

"Don't you say anything to me right now, Harry Potter. I can't believe you would act that way towards your best friend. You have no right to tell her who she can or can't be with. Its not like she has a lot of choice right now, does she? I have half a mind to consider his petition myself," the red hear screamed at her boyfriend, who was turning paler and paler with every work that came out of her mouth.

"Ginny, dear," Mrs. Weasley said gently, coming up beside her daugher. "Why don't you go and check on Hermione?"

"Fine!" she replied, giving on last glare around the table before making her way up the stairs.

Mrs. Weasley stood with her hands resting on her hips, appraising the table full of men.

"I am very ashamed of all of you," she said in a very calm voice, one that scared the Weasley men more then her normal shrieking. "This is a time when we should be sticking together, helping each other. We shouldn't be going batty because of a petition that was received! Its not her fault she received one from him. So did Ginny, but none of you screamed at her, did you!" Molly stopped herself, realizing that she was shrieking.

"May I speak to Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked in a small, poliete voice.

Arthur looked at his wife, silently asking if she minded.

"Go ahead," she replied, dismissing the tow from the table. Harry and Mr. Weasley quickly got up and made their way out the back door.

"Fred take Ronald in the other room," she ordered, leaving little room for argument.

"Let's go play some chess," Fred suggested.

"I'm not ten years old anymore. You don't have to entertain me," Ron grumbled, pushing his seat under the table.

"So, do you want to play, or not?" the older brother asked, smirking.

"Yeah, I guess," he agreed as they walked out of the dining room, leaving Charlie and George alone with heir angry mother. Mrs. Weasley took the seat that Fred had vacated moments before, where she could see both of the boys clearly. They sat there, in silence for several minutes while she watched them.

Finally, Charlie could take it anymore.

"What Mum? What do you want me to say?" he demanded.

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me, young man," Mrs. Weasley bit back. "I'm not asking you to say anything."

"Why do we still need to sit here then?" George wondered quietly. He wanted to escape to his room so that he could have a while to think.

Molly raised an eyebrow, noticing how the twin that sat before her was acting. It was defiantly not normal and it almost confirmed the thought she had had earlier in the evening.

"I just wan to say on thing to you both and you can be on your way to do what ever it is that you need to do. As you've seen this evening, petitions are already being sent out. People are going to be trying to win each others hearts left and right. Its going to be a very interesting and crazy year. If you have your eye on a certain girl, you need to petition her as soon as possible."

"Mum," Charlie started.

"I'm not finished," she interrupted. "I know its not my business but I want to see you happy. All of you children. Petition her tonight, if you want to. And make a list of a few other ladies, just in case," she added, for good measure, knowing that both of them couldn't be with Hermione. _Its a shame that she doesn't have a twin, _Molly thought to herself, sighing.

"May we go now?" George wondered, eager to get going.

"Yes, you may," she smiled knowingly. Both boys stood up and Molly turned to begin cleaning up the kitchen.

"Mum?" Charlie asked, startling her.

"I thought you left," she replied, holding her chest.

"Sorry," he apologized, looking down at his feet. He looked up at his mothers all knowing eyes. "Should I back off and let him have a go? Or should I try, too?"

Molly walked over to her son and squeezed him tight. "Why shouldn't you try too?" she wondered.

"I don't want to cause any fighting in the family," Charlie answered.

His mother shrugged and went back to cleaning. "All is fair in love and war, they say," was all she answered back. She smiled when she heard him retreating up the stairs. _This is going to get very interesting, _she thought, grinning.

When Ginny walked into their room, Hermione was laying face down on her bed.

"Oh, Mione. I'm so sorry," Ginny said sitting on the bed beside her.

"Its okay, Ginny. Its not your fault," she assured her friend.

"I know," Ginny said. "I just wanted to check on you."

"Your mom send you up here?" Hermione wondered, conjuring up a box of tissues.

"Yeah. I imagine she wanted a whack at them," she admitted, smiling.

Hermione chuckled, imagining Ginny go off. She had seen it quite a few times, first hand.

"What did you say?" she asked the red head.

"I told them that they were all stupid gits," Ginny replied, hesitating to say more.

"What else did you say?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"I may have told Harry that I might consider Malfoy's petition myself."

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped, putting her hand over her mouth. "I can't believe you said that!"

"You know I didn't mean it," Ginny replied defensively. "I wouldn't touch that ferret with a ten foot wand."

Hermione just looked at her for a moment, when Ginny realized what she said.

"Oh, Mione, I'm so sorry," she said for the second time that evening. "I didn't mean it how it came out. I just meant that he wasn't the one for me."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it," Hermione replied, sighing. "Did you read the letter that Draco sent you?"

"Draco?" Ginny asked, smirking. "That must have been one hell of a letter."

Hermione blushed but didn't say anything.

'No, I didn't read it," she answered finally when Hermione didn't respond.

"Are you going to?" Hermione wondered, holding onto her own petition.

"I wasn't planning on it, but if you want to, you can read it," Ginny answered, handing it over.

"Are you sure?" the older girl asked. Ginny nodded.

"Since you're letting me read yours, here," Hermione decided, handing Ginny her's, causing the red head to grin widely.

"Thanks," she replied and began to read.

Hermione unrolled th parchment and read, faintly hearing a door close to the room next door.

_Weasley,_

_I'm petitioning you because I'm 95% sure that you will not acknowledge I sent this to you. If worse came to worse and Potter didn't petition you and if Hermione didn't accept mine, you know I'm here. I hope you don't think I'm being rude. Its truly not my intentions. I'm just stating the truth. I do hope that Potter is man enough to petition you because its really obvious that you love one another. Sickening so._

_Regards to you,_

_Draco Malfoy_

Hermione sat there, shocked Ginny's letter was a whole lot shorter and less sweet. he had actually mentioned her in the letter.

"Wow!" Ginny exclaimed, startling, Hermione. "No wonder you are going to tell him he has a chance."

Hermione sat there, quietly still in shock.

"I mean, you said that you were, right?" Ginny wondered, worried that she had just put her foot in her mouth once again.

"Yes, I'm going to do that right before bed," Hermione stated, sighing. "All of this is just too much to think about!"

Ginny burst into laughter, having picked up the letter to herself from Malfoy. "The boy couldn't be more different between the two letters. In mine, he was being his normal self, with just a nice thing here or there. But in the one for you, its like he poured his heart out to you," she observed, shaking her head. "I hate to say it, but he was rather romantic with the whole 'I may have sent three other petitions off but you are the one I'm hoping for."

"Stop it," Hermioen insisted, laughing at Ginnys, Draco impression. "Ugh, the whole day had been horrible. The only other potetion I would want to see tonight is one for you from Harry."

"Me too," Ginny agreed, grinning.

"I think I'm going to take a bath, write that letter and go to bed," Hermione decided, standing to gather her pajamas.

Ginny got up quickly, and moved to stand in front of the door.

"What are you doing?" Hermione wondered, looking at the red head strangely.

"I just wanted to tell you that I hope you end up with someone who will treat you with the love and respect that you deserve," she gushed.

"Oh, thank you, Ginny," Hermione cried, hugging the girl tightly.

"You're Welcome," she replied. "Go ahead and go take that well deserved bath," she suggested opening the door for her friend.

"Thanks, I think I will," the brown haired girl smiled and headed down the hall.

Ginny sighed and closed the door. She knew and always remembered that the walls were thin, so she knew George had been listening. She was glad that she had glanced at the door and noticed the expendable ear that was caught underneath the door, obviously being used by the oldest brother that was present.

"You owe me," she said loud enough that she know both of her infatuated brothers heard her.

**What did you think? Please review and let me know. For fans of my other story Hermione Cullen goes to Hogwarts, I haven't forgotten you...I'm just having some MAJOR writters block for that story. Sorry. If you have any ideas, for either story, please let me know. Thank you! Have a great day and Happy Reading. :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is chapter 4. I own nothing.**

Chapter 4

When Hermione got back to her room, Ginny was laying on her bed, reading and listening to music.

"Who is that?" Hermione wondered, plopping down on her bed with a roll of parchment and a quill.

"I don't remember his name. Some new wizard from America," Ginny shrugged, paying more attention to the book then to the music.

"Hmm," she replied, opening the drawer that sat between the two beds to retrieve a bottle of ink. _Lets get this over with, _she thought as she dipped the quill in the ink and began to write.

_Dear Draco,_

_I __was __very surprised when your petition arrived this evening. I honestly thought that you would be the last wizard to even think about petitioning me and to be honest, you are the first._

_I have seen the changes you've made for yourself in the last while. I must say that you've impressed me quite a bit. It is, however, very difficult for me to forget all of the nasty and hurtful things you have said to me over the last six years. You have apologized several times, yes and I've forgive you, its just sometimes hard to forget._

_With all of the being said, I've come to a decision concerning your potetion. I will agree to consider accepting it, for now. If you've changed like you've said you have, I ask that you prove it to me. _

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione_

She reread her letter twice and decided that it was fine. She looked over at Ginny, who quickly looked away.

"Do you want to read it?"Hermione offered the nosey red head.

"Yes!" Ginny exclamed, then tried to compose herself, not wanting to sound too eager. "Well, I mean, if you want me to."

Hermione laughed and passed the letter over. As Ginny read the letter Hermione put the ink and quill away and pulled her blankets back for bed.

"Here you go," Ginny said, handing Hermione the parchment back. She turned down the radio and stretched, hitting the wall with her fist. "Ouch!" she exclaimed, seemingly annoyed with herself for not paying attention.

"You alright?" Hermione wondered as she opened their window and whistled for her new owl, Austen, who she named after her favorite muggle author Jane Austen. Her had been a gift from Harry and Ron when she was so upset about her parents disowning her. The beautiful snow white bird came and sat on the window ledge and nipped his owners hand affectionately.

"Hello to you too," she said, pulling a treat from her dresser drawer. "Please take this to Draco Malfoy. Don't you give me that look," she scolded her owl, who seemed to know how she felt about Malfoy at one time.

"Go!" she said, watching as the owl hooted and left the Burrow.

"I'm fine," Ginny answered, pulling Hermione back into the room.

"Huh? Oh, that good," she replied, yawning. "What did you think of the letter I sent to Draco?"

"I thought it was a fabulous letter," Ginny replied loudly.

"Really? You didn't think it was too...I don't know," Hermione wondered,looking at the red head strangely.

"No, not at all," she gushed, more loudly. "It was the right amount of nice and still the right amount of telling exactly what you felt towards him."

"Ginny, are you okay?" Hermione asked concerned, sitting on the edge of Ginny's bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Totally fine. Why?" the girl asked.

"You are talking rather loudly," Hermione said concerned.

"Oh," Ginny turned red and rubbed her ears, as if there was something in there. "Maybe I've got something in my ear. I think I'll go have mum take a look," she said, standing up and walking toward the door. "Why don't you lean back there and read?" Ginny suggested.

Hermione yawned again and crawled into her bed. "I think I will," she replied as Ginny nodded and closed the door behind her. She pulled her wand out and put a silencing charm on the door. George closed the door to his room quietly and looked at Ginny.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"I'm surprised that she didn't figure out what you were doing. It sounded like you were trying to let Luna down the road know what she put in that letter," George complained, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Sorry. I just wanted to make sure that I was heard," his little sister explained.

The twin sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know. I shouldn't be so tough on you. You've had just as hard a day as the rest of us."

"Its okay. I know how much she means to you. I just wish that you would have asked her out a long time ago," Ginny replied.

"I thought that she and Ron would be together. He's fancied her for as long as I have and since they were such good friends, I didn't want to over step my bounds," he explained for the hundreth time. It was defiantly not the first time that he'd had this conversation. He'd had it with Ginny, Fred, Harry, even Ron, who thought they would be a good fit.

"Calm down. I already know all of that," Ginny looked at her nails, rather bored with that conversation.

"She told Malfoy how she felt. That she respected the fact that he's changed his life, but that it was hard for her to look past the fact that he made a lot of her school life a living hell. But she did give him a chance to prove he's changed."

"So i need to prove that I"m good enough to be with her," George thought aloud.

"Basically," she answered. "Look, I would like nothing more then for a brother of mine to be with my best friend. But its her chose. Don't push her."

"I'll do my best," he promised his sister, patting his sisters shoulder as he passed her, going back to his room and shutting the door.

Ginny looked down the hall and watched as Charlie came out of the shadows.

"That went for you too, you know," she folded her arms in front of her.

"I know," he replied, ruffling his sisters hair.

"Would you cut that out already?" she shrieked, in a very Molly Weasley type way. "I'm not ten years old anymore, you know."

"Yes, I'm quite aware of that fact every time I see you snogging Harry." Charlie snidely answered.

"Thank you for your help," he added, sincerely.

"Your welcome," Ginny replied, hugging Charlie, who had always secretly been her favorite brother.

He started to walk downstairs but turned and looked at his sister. "How long have you known that I...you know?"

"Since Bill's wedding," she laughed. "I think you would have made some progress with her if the whole attack wouldn't have happened."

"Hmmm," he mused, walking down the stairs slowly. "You know, you really are too perceptive."

"I know," she replied walking back into her room.

"You know what?" Hermione wondered, putting down her book and stretching.

"That I'm tired," Ginny faked yawned, putting her pj's on.

"Me too," Hermione agreed, pulling out her wand and turning off her light. "Good night Ginny."

"Night Mione," Ginny replied, sitting in her bed, not at all tired yet. She quietly pulled out a book and began reading.

Hermione woke with a start the next morning, sweating horrible. _Well at least I didn't wake anyone this morning, _she thought as she got her baring. She looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was a little past seven.

Happy that she had gotten more sleep then the previous day, she pulled her want out and made her bed, deciding that a shower was in order because of the whole sweating ordeal. _I really need to look into making a potion to stop sweating at night, _she thought as she quietly opened the door. She made sure that no one was in the bathroom before she scurried across the hall and closed the door quietly and let the steam of the shower envelop her.

A while later, when she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, the strong smell of roses and lavender invaded Hermione's nose.

"Good morning," Hermione greeted Mrs. Weasley, who was fusing over the two stunning vases full of flowers that practically took up the massive dining room table.

"What did Mr. Weasley do to have to give you such an embarrassing amount of flowers?" Hermione teased one of her favorite people in the world.

Molly looked at the girl and grinned. "Oh these aren't for me,dear."

"They're not?" she asked, walking closer to the beautiful bouquets. Most girls loved roses, but Hermione had always loved Gerber daises for some reason. _I bet Harry got both of these for Ginny, _Hermione thought smiling, admiring the bouquet that had several of her favorite flowers here and there.

"Oh flowers!" Ginny exclaimed, bouncing into the kitchen. "Look how beautiful these roses are! Who are they for?" she asked Hermione as she took a deep breath, savoring their intoxicating scent.

"I don't know," she answered, looking at a smiling Mrs. Weasley.

"Who are they for, Mum?" her daughter wondered.

"The roses are for you, Ginny," she answered, handing over the card.

"You read it?" Ginny said accusingly.

"Just who its to..." Mrs. Weasley replied sheepishly.

"Like I believe that," she replied, laughing good naturedly. She opened the card and read, the smile on her face keep getting bigger and bigger.

"Who are they from?" Hermione asked, all though she already knew.

"Harry," she answered rather dreamily. "He apologized and he wants me to meet him out by the pond later on today."

"Really?" Mrs. Weasley squealed like a school girl, causing Ginny and Hermione to giggle.

"What?" Molly wondered, grinning. "I just think its a brilliant idea for you two to have a little time together."

Ginny grinned, then looked over at the other boquet. "Whose the other one to, Mum?"

"Probably to Ron," Hermione replied smirking.

"Why do you say that?" Ginny wondered.

"Because of those little pieces of lavender here and there. Some lavender from his Lavey Bear," she said in a baby voice, sounding a lot like Lavender had sounded sixth year.

Ginny laughed loudly along with Hermione.

"Girls, cut that out," Mrs. Weasley scolded them, trying hard not to laugh herself. "And no, Hermione they aren't for Ronald, their for you," she told the girls, causing Hermione to sober up.

"Me?" she squeked, looking over at the bouquet of flowers.

"Who are they from?" she wondered, holding her hand out for Mrs. Weasley to give her the card.

"There was no card, dear," Mrs. Weasley grinned looking towards the back door that had just opened. Hermione turned and saw a tall, handsome red head walk through the door. He was dressed in his best pair of muggle jeans and his best while dress shirt. He wore a dashing smile that always made Hermione's heart skip a beat, even though she wasn't used to seeing it.

"Charlie?" Hermione whispered, shocked that such a beautiful display of flowers were from him and that such a handsome man would want to give them to her.

"Hi," he greeted her,walking closer to where she stood. Hermione found that she was having trouble breathing, but could hear just fine, even if Ginny had just squealed in her ear. Mrs. Weasley pulled Ginny away from the two, so they could have a moment. Not a private moment, but a moment none the less.

"Do you like the flowers?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you so much. They are beautiful. May I ask you a question?" Hermione wondered, blushing.

"Of course, anything," he replied smiling.

"Um, well. I was wondering how you knew that Gerber daisies were my favorite flowers?" she asked.

"Well, I would like to say that I just knew, but that would be a lie. When I went to find the perfect bouquet for you thing morning, I wasn't sure what to get. We haven't really had the chance to get to know each other over the years, so I wasn't sure what to look for. But when I saw these flowers, with the bright vibrant colors, I immediately thought of you," Charlie answered, honestly.

Hermione had never heard anything so sweet in her entire life. "Oh," she found herself saying to him again, causing Ginny to snort. Mrs. Weasley slapped her on the back of the head as she often did to Ron.

Charlie grinned, remembering she had said the same thing to him the morning before. He enjoyed the fact that she was so flustered by him, when she was normally so poised. He stepped closer to Hermione and pulled out a rolled up parchment.

"Hermione, will you consider accepting this petition? I want to get to know you and I hoe that you would like to get to know me. You are one of the most brilliant women I've ever met and I would love the chance to prove to you that I could take care of you and be there for you, forever."

Hermione felt tears in her eyes. It was all so sweet. He was right, they didn't know one another very well. But he was a Weasley and she'd had a small crush on him since the first time that they had met. If she could tell Draco Malfoy that she would consider his petition, then she sure could except Charlie Weasley's.

"Yes, I'll consider your potetion," she quietly said, trying not to cry.

"Really?" Charlie asked grinning, looking gently taking her hand.

Hermione giggled, something she hardle ever did. "Of course." She wasn't sure if she had ever seen a man smile so big.

"Do you mind if I hug you?" he asked, receiving a coarse of 'Awes' from Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione nodded and felt his strong arms engulf her in a warm hug. He smelled of smoke, pine and spearmint; smells that Hermione didn't mind in the least.

**How did you like chapter 4? Please review and let me know. Reviews are like fuel, as I've said a lot of time before. If you have any ideas for the story, I would love to here them. Anywho, happy reading. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Heres chapter 5. I don't own anything. **

Chapter 5

At the top of the stairs, in a house called the Burrow, sat four young wizards, watching a girl receive flowers and a piece of rolled up parchment from a dragon handler. And then for the gifts that she had received, he was rewarded with a hug.

"Argh!" George shouted in frustration as he watched his older brother petition the girl he'd had feelings for,for quite a long time. "How on earth am I going to top that?" he asked, his three companions, who were also stuck at the top of the stairs.

When they had all come out of their respected rooms, they found a speel keeping them from going down the stairs and a not.

_Good Morning Boys,_

_Charlie is using the kitchen right now and does not need to be disturbed. I've placed a no entrance charm on the stairs, along with a silencing charm, where you can hear downstairs, but we can't hear you up there._

_Love,_

_Mom_

"This is ridiculous!" George said for the fifth time in a matter of ten minutes.

"Calm down, George," Ron said.

"Calm down? How can you honestly think I could calm down? How am I going to top that?"

"Don't worry, we'll help you figure something amazing out," Fred assured his twin,patting him on the back.

"I'l help however I can," Harry promised. "Just not today. I've gotto go get ready."

"Good luck," the offered as Harry made his way up the second set of stairs.

"Come on, mate. Lets go figure out what you are going to do. You coming Ronnickins?" Fred wondered.

"No, but I'll help if you need it, George," Ron promised his brother. If any of his brothers were going to be with Hermione, he watched it to be George.

"Thanks," he said sincerely, messing up his hair. George and Fred made their way to their room.

Ron sat there,waiting for the spell to be lifted so he could go get something to eat. He needed to figure out who he was going to send petitions to and he did his best thinking when he was eating. A few moments later, the charm lifted and Ron made his way down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ronald," his mother greeted him happily. "Here's you a plate of breakfast."

"Thanks, Mum," he replied as he took a seat at the flower filled table. He looked over to where his best friend and sister stood, talking excitedly. _Probably about those stupid flowers, _he thought bitterly as he shoveled a bite of pancakes into his mouth. Ron noticed that Charlie was no where to be seen.

"Where'd Charlie go?" he asked no one specifically.

Hermione jumped, having not noticed that he had come into the kitchen. "Oh, hi Ron," she greeted him.

"Did you see the flowers that Hermione and I got?" Ginny asked her brother.

"Of course I've seen them. They're taking up half of the bloody table," he exclaimed grumpily.

"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley scolded her youngest son. "Whats gotten into you this morning? Here, eat some more," she ordered, stacking more pancakes onto his plates. With Ron, if there was something bothering him, the more food you gave him the better.

"Thanks Mum," he mumbled. he looked over at Hermione and Ginny, who had taken seats next to him. "Sorry," he apologized, sheepishly. He looked at Hermione and added, "Sorry about last night too."

"Thats alright, Ron," Hermione replied happily.

Ron smiled, grateful to see one of his best friends so happy. "Where did you put the flowers Charlie gave you?" he wondered, noticing they were gone, as were Ginny's.

Hermione blushed at the mention of Charlies name. "We sent them to our room. How did you know they were from Charlie?" she wondered.

"We sat at the top of the stairs and watched the whole thing," he answered with his mouth full.

"Please swallow before you speak, Ron," his mother requested for the millionth time.

"We?" Hermione asked, terrified. It had been extremely embarrassing knowing that Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were in the same room, but knowing that others had witnessed it was rather horrifing.

"Harry, Fred, George and I," Ronald clarified, causing Hermione to turn bright red.

"Where's Harry?" Ginny wondered, standing and heading toward the stairs.

"He's getting ready for this afternoon," her brother answered.

"Leave him alone. Ginny, come back here," Mrs. Weasley shrieked as she ran after her determined daughter up the stairs.

"He's gong to as her to marry him, isn't he?" Hermione wondered, grinning.

"Yep," he replied bitterly.

"Do you not want them to be together?" she asked, surprised how upset he was acting.

"I don't know," he mumbled, playing with the remainder of his pancakes.

"What's wrong? How can I help?" Hermione said, concerned. She had never seen him not finish a meal before.

"Its nothing," he tried to assure her, blushing.

"Is is about the petitions?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. Its hard, being the nobody among my brothers," he admitted.

"Your not a nobody," Hermione scolded him. "You are Ronald Weasley, the boy who helped defeat Voldemore. You are part of the 'Golden Trio' and you are one of my best friends. That makes you a somebody in my book."

Ron grinned, sheepishly."Thanks. Its just, I can't be like them. How am I going to get a girl? I'm not as handsome and romantic as Charlie. Or as loyal and crazy as Fred and George."

"No one is expecting you to be like them," she reassured him. "Do youknow wh oyou want to potetion?"

"Well, not really," he admitted, pulling a piece of parchment and quill out of his pocket. "I was hoping to make a list."

"I could help you, if you wanted me to," Hermione offered. She wanted him to know that she was there for him, with anything he needed.

"Would you?" he asked, surprised. "I'll let you write. I can barely read my own hand writing."

Hermione laughed and took the parchment and quill. "So, any ideas? How about Lavender?" she suggested, smirking.

Ron chocked on his pumpkin juice. "Merlin's Beard, Hermione!" he exclaimed, coughing. "Are you trying to kill me? I can't stand her."

"You liked her plenty sixth year," Hermione found herself saying.

"That's true, but I was an idiot to ever go out with her," he replied.

"So, no Lavender. Any one else you fancy?" his best girl friend wondered.

"Well, what about Luna?" Ron asked, turning bright red. "She may be a little off her rocker, but she's always nice to everyone and shes...well, she's got nice skin."

It was Hermione's turn to chock on pumpkin juice. "Nice skin, Ronald?" she asked trying extremely hard not to laugh. "Do you mean she's pretty?"

He nodded and looked down at his hands, deep in thought. Hermione waited patiently while he tried to figure out what he was trying to figure out what he was trying to say. He usually wasn't so thoughtful with his words, so she was looking forward to what her friend had to say.

"You remember when we saw the mural that she painted at her house?" Ron asked, looking over at Hermione as she nodded. "When I saw it, it was like a part of my heart tore open."

Hermione smiled, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to appear. She looked down at the parchment and wrote LUNA LOVEGOOD, putting stars on either side of her name.

"Who else do you have in mind, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, I think I'm going to wait and see what happens with Luna. We have until March, after all to send petitions," he replied, standing.

"Alright. Are you going to go down there?" she wondered.

Ron shook his head. "No, not yet. I'm going to go out to the pond and find a hiding place to watch Harry and Ginny. You want to go?"

Hermione laughed, thinking that it was a rather brilliant idea and she was pretty sure that they wouldn't mind. "Let me go put some shoes on and I'll meet you out there."

An hour later Hermione, Ron and Mrs. Weasley sat under a tree and few yards away from the blanket Harry had set out. Mr. Weasley and the twins had left for work and Charlie was helping Hagrid with some new creature that he had acquired.

"I wonder where Ginny is?" Ron said, clearly getting bored.

"She's probably just finishing getting ready." Mrs. Weasley assured her son.

"Look how nervous Harry looks," Hermione observed.

"I can hear you," the man who looked nervous in formed them.

"Sorry." Hermione and Ron replied as they saw Ginny making her way to the pond. She had chosen a white muggle sundress, and her hair half up with a beautiful butterfly clip.

Hermione looked at the boy Ginny was walking towards and tears came to her eyes. He was watching her with such warmth and affection, as if every breath he took was because of her-for her. _Will someone ever look at me like that, _she thought. _And will I ever look at anyone like that? _Hermione watched as Ginny walked up to Harry, looking at him as if he were the only other living being. He took her hand and lead her to the blanket, helping her sit down on the blanket. He opened the picnic basket and pulled out chocolate covered strawberries, one of Ginny's favorite foods. Ginny squealed and ate with a vengeance, laughing and talking with Harry as if she had not a care in the world.

"When's he going to do it already?" Rongrumbled, sighing loudly, recieving a hard smack on the back of the head.

"Hush. If you don't want to wait quietly and patiently, then leave," Mrs. Weasley scolded her son quietly.

"Sorry. I'll be quiet," Ron replied,not wanting to miss his best friend getting engaged, even if it was to his little sister. Hermione smiled, knowing that it was torture for Ron to sit there quietly and wait. And she knew that he wanted to get to Luna's.

"Ginny, there's something I wouldlike to talk to you about," Harry said seriously, some minutes later.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, concerned, placing her hand on his arm.

"Nothing is wrong," he assured her quickly, smiling at her nervously. "This whole petition thing has got me thinking. And I know that the Ministry said that we had to send out petitions, but I don't want to give you a petition."

"What?" Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and Hermione all squeaked at the same time, startling Harry.

"No, that didn't come out right. Wait, Ginny, please," he pleaded with his girlfriend, who quickly stood up from the blanket. Harry stood too, and grabbed Ginny's hand.

"What I meant to say was that I don't JUST want to give you a petition," he said, pulling something from his jeans pocket. Harry got down on one knee, causing Ginny to gasp. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, I have loved you from a far for three years. And I thought that I had died and gone to heaven the day you said you would be my girlfriend. I'm asking you to not only except this petition, but to please except this ring, as just a tiny symbol of how much I love you. Ginny, will you marry me?" Harry opened the box to reveal the beautiful white gold ring with a solitary, massive diamond.

"Of course I'll marry you, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed, tears running down her face. Harry grinned brightly as he put the ring on his newly acquired fiancee. She threw her arms around him, knocking him quickly to the ground, smothering him in kisses.

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were hugging one another, crying. Ron smiled, looking at how happy Harry and Ginny were.

_Luna and I might not be together now and we might not be this happy right away,but I believe that I could make her happy. Its time for me to take a chance and be a man, _Ron thought as he pulled the rolled up piece of parchment out of one pocket and his wand out of the other and apparated away.

**I would like to start by saying how sorry I am that it took so long for me to update. I'm doing NaNo and have been busy coming up with a 50,000 word original story by the end of November. I'm half way there! Yea me. Anywho, I hope you liked this chapter. I don't normally like Ron, but I'm trying to make him super likeable in this story. Hope its working. Have any ideas? Let me know. Reviews make me write more, even while I'm NaNoing it, so please review. Happy writing. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! I hope you like this chapter. I own nothing. **

Chapter 6

"Where did Ron go?" Mrs. Weasley asked Hermione as they made their way back to the house to give Harry and Ginny some alone time.

"I believe he went to go deliver a petition," she answered grinning as Mrs. Weasley stopped in her tracks.

"What? To who?" the mother of seven wondered.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," Hermione teased as she walked into the house and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you had better stop teasing me and tell me," Molly demanded, placing her hands of her hip.

"Oh alright, but if I tell you, you need to pretend you do not know if he tells you."

"I've raised seven children, Hermione. I have the art of playing dumb down to an art," Mrs. Weasley informed her, smirking, causing Hermione to laugh.

"He's down the road," Hermione answered, recieving a wide grin from Ron's mom.

"Thank you, dear. Now if you will excuse me I need to send out a few owls to let people know that my only daughter is engaged to be married."

"Of course, I'll just be up in our room," Hermione replied, walking up the stairs and shutting the door behind. She never had time to herself anymore just to read, so she decided to take the down tine to read. As she was settling in, propped up in the corner of their window seat, and owl entered the opened window, leaving an envelope in Hermione's lap. Curious, she put her book down and opened the envelope, pulling out an elegant piece of parchment.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I was beyond pleased when I recieve your letter last evening, saying that you would give me a chance to prove to you the I have changed. I knew that you would not hold grudges, unlike some women._

_Since we are both going back to Hogwarts soon, I'm sure we are both going to need to make a trip to Diagon Alley. Hogwarts starts back in a week, so the sooner the better._

_I was wondering if you would be willing to meet me for some ice cream while we are there. Please let me know with a reply soon. _

_Yours Truly, _

_Draco_

Hermione stared at the letter, speechless. _Did Draco Malfoy just ask me on a date? _she thought, stunned. _This is insane,_Hermione thought, beginning to pace. She still couldn't believe that the Ministry was making them do this marriage law nonsense. She understood the fact they needed to repopulate the wizarding would, but there had to be a better way.

The flowers she had recieved from Charlie earlier in the day were sitting on her dresser, catching her eye. She walked over to smell them, smiling at the memory of Charlie's speech that morning. _He understands I needed to get to know Draco too, doesn't he? _she wondered, sighing loudly at all of the thoughts that were running through her head.

"A knut for your thoughts," a voice said from the doorway, startling Hermione.

"Oh hello George. You're home early," she greeted him, taking a seat on her bed.

He looked down at the pocket watch he carried and smirked. "Actually, its after five, Mione," he informed her.

"Really?" Hermione gasped, looking at her own clock. "Wow," was all she could say, not believing she had wasted an entire afternoon fretting over the marriage law.

"You lose track of time?" George asked, walking over and sitting across from Hermione on Ginny's bed.

"Yes, I believe I have," she replied, picking up the letter from Draco.

"Whats that?" he wondered, curiously.

"Its a letter from Mal-I mean Draco, asking me to meet him in Diagon Alley for ice cream one day before school begins next week," Hermione found herself telling George. She looked over at him, to gage his reaction and only say more curiosity.

"Well, are you going?" George asked.

"I'm thinking about it. How can I make and educated decision if all I know of Draco is from what he was like at school," she replied.

"You can't," George agreed.

"But what about Charlie? Do you think he will understand that I need to do this?" Hermione asked the twin that was across from her.

"Does it really matter what he thinks?" George asked, almost angrily. "You may have told him you would consider his petition, but you didn't accept it. He doesn't have any say in what you do," he added.

"You're right," Hermione agreed, standing up to grab a piece of parchment and a quill. "Thanks George," she said, hugging the twin tightly.

"Your welcome," he replied, his voice an octave lower then normal. Quickly clearing his throat, he stood. "I'll leave you to it then," he said, leaving her alone, as she began writing.

_Dear Draco, _

_I'm glad that you were please with my response. I do not hold grudges, however I do only give second chances, never third._

_I've already gotten the things I need for Hogwarts this year. However, I would be willing to meet you in Diagon Alley for a bit. Just let me know what day would be acceptable for you and I'll meet you._

_Looking forward to seeing you,_

_Hermione_

She re-read the letter twice before deciding it was alright. Hermione whistled for Austen, who arrived and nipped at her fingers, asking for a treat.

"Alright, you spoiled thing," she said affectionately. "Here's your treat. Now take this to Draco, please."

The bird flew off with the envelope, not really liking that his master was corresponding with that boy.

"Mione, mum says dinner's ready," George informed her, sticking his head into her room.

"Oh thanks," she replied as she flicked her want to put away her writing utensils.

"So did you write young Mr. Malfoy?" the twin asked as he offered her his arm.

"I did," she grinned, excepting his arm.

"Good for you. Not saying that I want you to be Hermione Malfoy, however you have the right to test the waters," George said as they walked down the stairs, arm in arm.

"Test the waters?" Hermione asked, laughing.

"Well, yes. He's a bad boy and as far as I know you've only been around good boys, like myself. Girls like bad boys sometimes," he replied, finding perfect logic at what he just said.

Hermione was laughing as they made their way into the kitchen where everyone was already sitting.

"Come on already," Fred said as his twin and Hermione took the two remaining seats between Charlie and Ginny.

"Hold your broomsticks," George retorted good natured at his brother.

"Where's Ron?" Ginny asked from her seat next to Harry and George. She was almost sitting in her fiancees' lap, but no one said a word.

"That's none of your concern, Ginevra. He is where he is and that's all you need to know," her mother replied, causing Hermione to snicker.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at her while spooning some potato's on his plate. He had never heard the brown haired girl snicker before and he found it highly amusing and terribly cute.

An owl swooped through the open window and landed in front of Hermione. Charlie put his fork down, irritated because he recognised the elegant bird from the other night.

Hermione untied the peice of parchment from the birds claw and gave it a small piece of chicken off of her plate. "Thank you," she told the bird who flew back outside. She opened it and read the contents.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Thank you for you timely response. I understand what you said about believing in second chances, but no more. I feel the same way. _

_Would tomorrow be too early to meet for ice cream? Maybe at noon? I look forward to your response._

_Yours,_

_Draco_

Hermione smiled and folded the letter placing it safely in her jeans pocket. She looked up to take a sip of her pumpkin juice and saw that everyone was staring at her.

"Yes?" she asked, curious as to who would be the nosey one to ask.

"Well, do tell us what it said," Ginny said, causing Hermione to giggle. "What"? she asked, confused.

"Nothing," Hermione lied, trying to control the giggling that had invaded her body. "It was from Draco, asking me to ice cream tomorrow at noon in Diagon Alley."

Charlie folded his arms over his chest, clearly angry. Mrs. Weasley noticed and knew if he said anything negative about Hermione going to meet the Malfoy boy, that it would just push her further into Draco's arms.

"Well, that's lovely, dear," Mrs. Weasley gushed, eyeing Charlie. "It's nice that you will have the chance to get to know the boy so that you can make the best decision for you."

Charlie looked at his mother and raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had gone mad.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I was thinking the same thing," Hermione replied happily, as she took a bit of chicken. Charlie finally picked up his fork and began eating once more, understanding what his mother just did. He caught her eye and smiled, silently thanking her for keeping him from having to put his foot in his mouth.

The back door opened a few moments later, Ron stepping into the kitchen. His face was flushed and he wore a big goofy grin.

"Hello Ronald. We just sat down. Your plates right there," his mother greeted him.

"I'm not hungry," was his reply as he practically floated out of the dining room and up the stairs.

"Did Ron just say he's not hungry?" Ginny asked, shocked.

Hermione and Harry exchanged looks and nodded, excusing themselves from the table to go check on their best friend.

"Do you think she rejected him?" Harry asked Hermione as they took the stairs two at a time.

"No," Hermione replied as they started up the second pair of stairs. "Did you see the stupid grin that was plastered on his face?"

The door to the room the boys shared was opened, but Hermione still felt the need to knock.

"Ron, can we come in?" she asked, watching as the red head laid on his bed, smiling up at the ceiling.

"Of course. Come in," he replied happily.

Harry and Hermione took a seat on Harry's bed across from the very Luna like Ron.

"What happened,mate?" Harry wondered, worriedly.

"She said yes," Ron answered, ecstatically.

"What?" Hermione squeaked in total shock.

"Luna accepted my petition," he clarified happily, sitting up and looking at his best friends.

"Congratulations!" Harry exclaimed happily, standing and exchanging a hug with his best friend.

Hermione sat on the bed, speechless. She had no clue how this had happened. How was it that _Ronald Weasley _was engaged before her? Not wanting to upset the two beaming boys, she stood and hugged Ron.

"I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. "I want to hear all about it, but it will have to wait until tomorrow. I need to send a letter off and I must go take a bath," Hermione explained as she ran out of the room and down the stairs. _That didn't come out as smoothly as I would have liked, _she thought as she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Mione, are you alright?" Ginny asked from the dining room table, where the rest of the family was still eating.

_Crap,_Hermione thought.

"Oh yes,of course. I just need a little air," she replied as she raced out of the back door.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Excuse me," George replied a minute later as he stood to go check on Hermione. He knew she was upset and he desperately wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Its alright, little brother, I'll go check on her," Charlie said standing, patting George's shoulder.

"That's quite alright. You finish your pudding," the twin insisted, taking a few steps toward the back door.

"I do believe that it would be my responsibility now, wouldn't it?" the former dragon handler asked, smirking.

"She didn't accept your bloody petition. She basically said that she would think about it and if no one better comes along she might think of you," George practically roared at his brother, angrier then he had ever been.

"Sit down both of you. NOW!" Molly exclaimed sternly, causing both men to take their seats once again. "If she's upset, she doesn't need the two of you bickering in front of her," she continued as George and Charlie glared at one another. "Fred, you will go check on Hermione."

"Me? Why not Ginny?" the shocked twin wondered, looking over at his sister.

"Because I said so," their mother replied, using her most favorite reasoning in the world.

Fred sighed and pushed away from the table and headed out the back door. He already know where to look, because she always went to that tree when she needed to think. Or when she was upset. Or when she just needed to get out of the over crowded Burrow for a few minutes. _I really wish she would have sent Ginny._

_xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo_

Hermione quickly wiped her tears when she heard someone approach. She hadn't meant to start crying. She hated it when she cried, it made her feel weak.

"Hey," a familiar voice greeted her.

"Hi," she replied, being careful not to look at him. She didn't want him to see her crying.

"Hermione, are you crying?" the twin asked, kneeling beside her in concern.

"No," a traitor squeak escaped from her mouth, causing her tears to escape more quickly.

"Whats wrong?" he asked, gently scooting closer to the tree so he could see her better.

"Its nothing...so stupid," she replied through the tears.

"If it were nothing, you wouldn't be crying so hard," he told her as she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, pulling herself into a ball.

Instinctively the twin put his arm around her and pulled her closer, letting Hermione cry herself out.

"Luna accepted Ron's petition," she finally replied after several moments.

"Oh," he replied, surprised. After a few more quite minutes he asked, "Do you still have feelings for him?"

Hermione laughed, shaking her head. "No."

"Then why do you seem so upset?" he wondered, still holding her tight.

"It's nothing, I'm just being silly," she replied.

"You can tell me. I won't judge you," he informed the young witch.

_Maybe if I talk, it will help, _she though looking up at the full, bright moon.

"It's kind of hard for me that they are both engaged," she admitted quietly. "I've always been the one leading the way, so to speak. I'm not use to being behind on anything. And I know that I could have already accepted Draco or Charlie's petition, but I barely know them. I want to at least have a sense of what the person is like before I promise to be with them for the rest of our lives. Is it so bad to want to be in love?"

The twin sat quietly, digusting every word she had said. He understood exactly what she was saying.

"Do you think less of me?" Hermione asked quietly, worried.

The twin placed his finger under her chin and gently turned her head towards him. "I could never think less of you," he confessed.

"Fred?" Hermione gasped, surprised that he was the twin who had come to comfort her.

"Yes?" he asked quietly, not taking his eyes off of her.

"It was you?" she asked stupidly, mentally cursing herself for asked such a stupid question.

He chuckled softly. "Yes, it was me. Who else would it be?" he teased.

Hermione smiled and realized that his arm was still securely wrapped around her. She blushed, not used to this type of affection.

"Thank you," she replied, turning to look him in the eye, not realizing that Fred's face was only an in from hers.

"You're welcome," he whispered and gently kissed her.

**So, are you going to kill me? What did you think? Let me know. I'm so glad that NaNo is over. It was a great experience but I don't know if I will ever do it again. I was SO stressed. Please review. I'm almost finished with the next chapter, but I want some of your opinions to make it better. :) Happy reading. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Here you go! :) I own nothing. I wish I did.**

Chapter 7

Hermione quickly made her way back into the house after the brief kiss, mumbling something about needing to write a letter. That left Fred sitting under the massive tree, alone. He sighed and banged his head on the tree, extremely frustrated with himself.

_What the hell were you thinking, _he scolded himself. _You just kissed the girl that your brother, your best friend, your TWIN has been in love with for years! _He got up from his seat, too disgusted with himself to sit at the scene of the crime for much longer. He began pacing and sighing; sighing and pacing, trying to figure out what he was going to do about it. He had to admist that his feelings for the young Ms. Granger had been steadily changing in the last few months from friendship to something stronger. When he had woke up at St. Mungo's, her eyes had been the first he saw. She had looked so beautiful, even with her hair all askew and clothing toworn from fighting during the war. In that moment, he had finally understood what his twin had seen in her for all of those years.

_But hes liked her for a LONG time, _Fred though, trying with much difficulty not to think about her. To think about his twin instead. _She's the only girl he has ever had problems asking out, _Fred recalled. George had never had issues asking a girl to Hogsmead once in a while. But that had a changed when Hermione had visited the Burrow for a few days the year before the Tri-Wizard tournament. As they spend time together at the Quidditch World Cup, George had quickly become quite smitten with her. It had been quite difficult for Fred to calm him down when they had lost her in the ciaos when the Death Eaters had shown up.

At school that year, George had tried everything he could think of to impress her, including trying to enter into the tournament itself. Fred chuckled at the memory of them both turning old right in front of Hermione. It had made George so angry. Later that year George had gathered up enough courage to ask Hermione to the Yule Ball when Ginny had informed her brothers that she already had a date with a mystery man. It had taken every ounce of who he was for George to act normal as she made her way into the Great Hall on Krum's arm. _Gosh she looked so gourgous that night, _Fred found his self thinking.

"Err! Stop it!" he screamed aloud, scaring a gnome that had found it way in the garden of the Burrow.

_You can not do this to your brother, _Fred told himself. _That kiss was just something that shouldn't have happened. You will forget it ever happened, _Fred told himself over and over again, Sighing, he made his way to a very quite house. Confused, he looked at the clock to see that it was quite late.

_Everyone must be asleep. Good, _he thought as he walked up the stairs, making a pit stop at the bathroom before quietly making his way to the room he shared with George. The light was out, his brother fast asleep.

_Thank Merlin, _he thought as he quietly pulled his shirt and shoes off, falling fast asleep.

Hermione still couldn't believe what had taken place the night before between herself and Fred. She had quickly escaped the situation to write the letter confirming her date with Draco. Then she had tossed and turned most of the night, wondering what it had meant. Finally, about 2:45 in the morning, she had enough and took a little bit of sleeping draft, knowing she would need to be well rested when meeting Draco.

As she was getting ready for her date with Draco the next morning, the kiss from Fred was all she could think about. Why did he kiss her? Why did she kiss him back? Was he going to give her petition? What would Charlie do if his own brother petitioned her? These were just a few questions that kept playing over and over again in her mind.

"Hermione!" Ginny hollered loudly at her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"For Merlin's sakes, you didn't have to yell at me. I'm right here," she scolded the read head who was standing in the doorway of their room.

"Obviously I did," Ginny smirked. "Otherwise you would have heard me the first four times that I called you."

"Four times?" Hermione asked, feeling a blush forming on her cheeks. "What did you need, Ginny? I'm sorry."

"I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready," she answered, watching the brown haired girl closely.

"Oh, thank you. I'll be down as soon as I put my shoes on," the older girl replied, smiling brightly.

"Are you nervous about meeting with Malfoy today?" Ginny asked, deciding to start there. She knew something was really bothering her friend and she intended to find out what it was so that she could help.

"A little," Hermione admitted, grabbing her bag so she could just floo onto Diagon Alley after breakfast. She was nervous about what she would talk to him about.

Ginny became much less suspicious and smiled. "It will be fine, Mione. There's nothing to worry about. And if he says or does anything to upset you, just decline the petition. My brother will be here, waiting with open arms."

"Your brother?" Hermione squeaked, shooting straight up from putting things in her bag.

Ginny raised and eyebrow and stared at her. "Yes, Charlie, my brother. The other person you are considering."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hermione laughed. "Charlie. Of course. I think I took too much sleeping draught last night," she explained as she passed Ginny, who was once again suspicious.

"What other brother would I be talking about?" Ginny asked, gently grabbing her friends arm.

"I don't know. You do have quite a few of them," she retorted back, looking down at the hand that was still holding onto her arm.

"Come on Hermione. What's got you all hot and bothered?" the red head teased. Hermione's face quickly became extremely red, affirming the younger girls suspicions.

"I am not hot and bothered!" Hermione hissed.

"What's going on then?" she wondered. "I won't say anything."

_It would be nice to tell someone what happened, _Hermione admitted to herself.

"If I tell you, you can not tell anyone, not ever Harry."

Ginny's eyes widened, knowing that it was serious if she didn't want Harry to know. Hermione told him everything. "I promise."

Hermione looked around the landing where they were standing, to make sure no one was there to hear what she was about to confess. Satisfied, she lowered her voice and sighed. "Fred kissed me last night."

"Where are those girls?" Mrs. Weasley wondered. She had sent Ginny up to retrieve Hermione for breakfast. She wanted the girl to have a good mean before her date with the Malfoy boy, even though she didn't want it to be a good date.

"I'll go check, if you would like me to," Charlie offered, standing.

"That's alright. Go ahead and eat. I'll go get those girls," Molly replied.

The boys began eating. The boys that were still there anyway. _I still don't know why Fred left so early this morning, _Mrs. Weasley thought as she walked up the stairs. She slowed down her vigorous pace when she heard voices.

"What's going on then? I won't say anything," Ginny was saying as Mrs. Weasley paused in the middle of the stairs.

"If I tell you, you can not tell anyone, not even Harry," Hermione replied in earnest, causing Molly to raise an eyebrow. She knew that girl always told Harry everything.

"I promise," Ginny said.

It was quite for several seconds before she heard Hermione sigh.

"Fred kissed me last night," Hermione confessed quietly. Mrs. Weasley threw her hands over her mouth to try and keep a gasp from escaping. Luckily for her, Ginny was making enough noise to cover it up.

"What? Fred kissed you? What did you do? Why did he kiss you?"

"Shh!" Hermione hushed the girl. "I don't know why he kissed me."

"What did you do?" her daughter asked once again.

Molly heard Hermione sigh once again. "What could I do?" she whispered.

Ginny gasped. "You kissed him back!"

_Oh Merlin, _Mrs. Weasley thought. There was silence for a moment, except for a small shuffling sound she assumed was a response.

"Do you fany him?" her daughter asked.

"I'm not sure," Hermione responded, quietly.

Ginny sighed. "We'll figure it out," she promised, hearing a thumping sound that she assumed was a pat on the back. "We had better go down to breakfast before Mum comes looking for us."

Molly quickly turned around and headed down the stairs quickly. _Merlin help us, _she thought as she entered the kitchen. _We're going to need it. _

After a very weird breakfast, Hermione decided to make her way to Diagon Alley early. Fred had already left for the day and George had not idea why.

"Maybe he's got a secret girl we don't know about," George had teased, causing Ginny and Hermione to choke on the food the had in their mouths.

"You must chew your food, Ginny. How many times must I tell you that?" Mrs. Weasley had scolded her daughter. Then turning to Hermione, she continues. "And dear, I know you are in a hurry to get to Diagon Alley, but you should chew your food and take your time."

Both girls had looked at each other and back at Molly Weasley, who was sending them glances that basically said, "I know."

_I should have placed a silencing charm around us, _Hermione thought as she stepped out onto the street. Diagon Alley was full of people, going here and there, bustling about. She never got tired of walking along those streets.

Glancing down at her watch, she noticed that she had about thirty minutes before she was to meet Draco. Hermione knew that if she went into Flourish and Blotts, it was a good possiblitly that she would stand him up. Not on purpose, however when she was in a book shop, alone, she tended to lose all track of time. She looked down the street at the many shops, trying to decide which one to go into.

The joke shops sign was impressive, but there was no way that she was going to go there. _I don't think I'm ready to see Fred, _she thought. There was the Quidditch shop and Olivanders, but seeing that her wand was fine and she didn't care for Quidditch, those were out of the question. She didn't need to stop by Gringotts to retrieve any money. Thankfully, her parents had aloud her to have the trust her grandparents had set up for her. She would be fine financially for many years to come.

"Hermione?" she heard someone call behind her.

Turning, she say Draco coming out of the book shop. He wore nice, dark muggle jeans and a white button up shirt, with no robe. He hair was not slicked back like he had worn it in school, but just a touch longer, flowing freely in the slight breeze.

"Draco?" she said, slightly shocked. Surprisingly to her, she found this look rather attractive.

The man laughed slightly and nodded. "Yes, its me."

"Did you just laugh?' Hermione found herself asking stupidly. She was beginning to wonder if she had lost the ability to speak intelligently during the war.

Draco laughed again, throwing his head back. "I suppose so. What are you doing here so early? We did agree on noon, did we not?"

Hermione smiled. She had never seen Draco Malfoy so carefree. "I needed some air, so to speak. I thought I would do some window shopping."

"Would you care if I joined you?" Draco asked, smiling down at her.

"I suppose that would be alright. As long as I'm not keeping you from finishing up your Hogwarts shopping," she replied.

"I'm nearly finished. The only think I have left is my robes and they should be finished this afternoon," he said, holding his arm out for her to hold onto. "Shall we?"

Hermione looked Draco in they eye, wondering if he was being sincere, or if this was all a trick. all she saw was happiness and something else she couldn't quite identify, but she knew it wasn't anything evil. Smiling, she excepted his arm and they began strolling down the busy lane.

Fred was absentmindedly unpacking some ingredients that had been delivered earlier in the day when a loud crashing sound came from the front of the shop. Quickly grabbing his wand, he made his way through the curtain that separated the storage room from the rest of the shop. George was standing by the front picture window and a box full of love potion was in a pile at his feet.

"What's wrong?" Fred asked, cleaning up the mess witha couple of waves of his wand.

"He's. Touching. Her," George replied angrily, staring outside.

Fred laughed. "Well, they are engaged, mate. Our little sister's growing up and Harry's a good man."

"What?" his twin asked, looking at Fred as if he had lost his mind. "Of course Harry is a good man. I'm not talking about them. Malfoy is touching Hermione."

"What?" Fred roared, earning a look of shock from his twin. Realizing that he needed to say something else, he added, "I mean, that should be you arm in arm with her, not him."

George nodded, accepting his twins assessment. "I know, but what do I do?" He looked out of the window, watching as they walked arm in arm down the street. Fred followed Georges gaze where he saw Hermione laughing at something Malfoy had said. He hated seeing Hermione with someone else, but he loved it when she laughed.

"What are you smiling about? Did you come up with a plan for me to petition Mione?" his twin asked, pulling Fred out of his thoughts.

He plastered a smile on his face and patted George on the back. "Yes, I think I have a perfect plan to petition her."

"What type of ice cream is your favorite?" Draco wondered as they looked over all of the flavors that were in front of them.

"Usually anything chocolate," Hermione replied, eyeing an ice cream with chocolate covered peanuts and chocolate swirls in it.

"I like chocolate but strawberry ice cream is my favorite," he replied, looking over the selections.

"Look, there's a strawberry and chocolate ice cream," Hermione exclaimed suddenly pointing it out for Draco to see.

"Can I help you two?" the young wizard behind the counter asked.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and grinned.

"Two Strawberry and chocolate cones please," the young Malfoy ordered for the both of them.

"Coming right up," he replied, slightly bored.

Hermione began pulling some coins out of her purse, but Draco put his hand over hers, stopping her from pulling it out.

"I've got it," he insisted,placing the coins on the counter and taking the treats from the man.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. No guy had ever really paid for her while on a date. Viktor Krum seemed to get things for free anywhere he went while in Hogsmead and that was the only place they had ever went.

"You're welcome," he replied, leading them to a table outside. It was too nice of a day to sit inside. "Are you surprised that I offered to buy that for you? I did ask you here, after all. It should be my responsibility to pay."

"I am surprised," she admitted. "Its very chivalrous of you," Hermione added teasingly, taking a bite of her ice cream. "OH, Merlin. I think that this is the best ice cream I've ever had."

Draco smiled and took a bit for his self. "Oh, that is good." They sat in quite, enjoying their treats.

"This is nice," Hermione said several minutes later.

"It is, isn't it?" Draco agreed, smirking as he spotted a small spot of ice cream on the side of her nose.

"What?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of feeling as if he was staring at her.

"You've got something," he started, leaning across the table, bringing his thumb up to gently remove the spot.

"Oh," she blushed, embarrassed that she had been so sloppy. "Um, thank you."

"You're welcome,"Draco smiled at her.

"Hello Hermione, Draco," came a dreamy voice over Hermione's shoulder. She turned to see Luna walk up to their table.

"Hello, Luna. How are you doing?" Hermione replied.

"Well, thank you. I'm meeting Ron in a few moments at the owl shop. It's a tradition in the Lovegood family to purchase a family owl together soon after becoming engaged. It helps to keep the sawelibees away from your new family."

"Really?" Hermione asked poliety, raising an eyebrow. She saw out of the side of her eye that Draco was doing his best not to smirk.

"Oh yes. Its worked for generations. My father's going to met us there as well to help pick one out and to pay for it, as a engagement present," the blond said, smiling.

"That's amazing," Hermione replied, not really knowing what else to say on the subject of 'sawelibees'.

"That's a very pretty ring you have there, Luna," Draco complemented, trying to move the conversation towards something a bit more normal.

"Thank you, Draco," Luna replied, happily. She held up her hand to looking down at the simple white gold band with a small canary yellow gem as the center piece. "Ron gave it to me this morning."

"Its a family heirloom," Hermione breathed, a little in shock seeing it on her friends finger. When they were a bit younger, Ginny had brought a box into her room that held several beautiful pieces of jewelry that had been passed down from both sides of the family. She remembered thinking that one day she had hoped to wear one of those beautiful family jewels.

'It is," Luna confirmed, looking at Hermione. She smiled kindly at the brown haired gril before backing away from the table. "Well, I'll leave you to your friendly meeting. I will be late if I don't hurry. NIce to see you, Draco. And I'll see you soon, Hermione."

"Good to see you, too" Draco replied, waving slightly.

"Bye Luna," Hermione said, quietly.

The pair watched as the blond walked down the side walk, both in their own thoughts.

"That was informative," Draco replied after a moment, smirking.

"Luna is very different," Hermione agreed half heartily.

"That she is. I wonder what she meant by 'friendly meeting.' That's a different way to word 'date'," Draco wondered, watching Hermione curiously.

"It is a different way," she said, shacking her head to try and remove the thoughts that were swirling around her head. "That's just Luna," she added, smiling brightly.

"She different then most, that's for sure," Draco said, happily. He was glad to see Hermione back to how she was before the interruption. "Would you like to go looking around some more? Or do you need to be somewhere/"

"I'll go," Hermione replied, standing.

Draco grinned, happy to have more time with the brilliant girl. He quickly offered her his arm, which she graciously accepted. She let him lead her down the sidewalk ask they talked about this and that. But she knew it was different then before. Something inside had snapped; changed directions. _But which way am I going?_

**So are you surprised that I have a new chapter up only a few days after the last? :) Did you like it? If you did, will you please let me know. Reviews make me write more quickly...I promise they do. Anywho, let me know your thought. Happy Reading. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Heres the next chapter. I own nothing. **

Chapter 8

The first thing that Hermione did when she got back to the Burrow was changed into her bathing suit and some shorts. The beautiful morning had turned into a sweltering August afternoon. Hermione couldn't help but to think that the water was unusually warm for this later in the season. _Or maybe its just thinking about that kiss with Fred thats got you all hot and botherd, _she found herself thinking as she dipped her feet into the small pond. _Oh great, now you're starting to sound like Ginny, _she thought, sighing.

Placing the text book she had brought out with her on her towel, she leaned back on her arms and let the cool water of the pond sooth her legs. The sun was beating down on the small amount of exposed stomach, causing her to desperately want to hop on into the cool water. As she was having an internal debate with herself on rather or not she should just get in, she felt something run past her, followed quickly by a massive splash.

Hermione squealed loudly, the water having been extremly cold on her warmed skin.

"Sorry,"came an amused voice from the water. Charlie was grinning up at her from his spot in the middle of the pond.

"You should be," Hermione replied, trying with much difficulty not to grin.

Charlie waded closer to the bank where Hermione was sitting. "I just got home from helping Hagrid with some animals in the Forbidden Forest. It was bloody hot in there! When I got home and saw you out here near the pond, I couldn't help but change to join you. You really are one of the brightest witches. Mum and Ginny are in the kitchen, fanning themselves with their hands," he informed her showing her with his hand how his sister and mother were doing it. Hermione laughed, finding it quite funny that this big, handsome man could mimicked his mum and little sister so well.

"You do that well," she informed him, causing the former dragon handler to quickly stop fanning himself.

"Thanks, I guess," he replied. "Why aren't you in here?" Charlie asked her, floating even closer to her.

"Well, I've been debating on it for a bit, but I just hadn't convened myself," Hermione replied honestly. If she accepted his petition, he would need to know she talked to herself quite a bit. _That way he can walk away quickly, if he likes, _she thought watching as the red dead approached her submerged feet.

"Why don't you just come on in?" he wondered, looking at her feet and back at her eyes.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she noted the mischievous gleam in his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked skeptically.

"Nothing," he said, innocently as he slowly started splashing his hands gently around her legs. She watched as he caught her eye and grinned broadly before throwing his arms wide over his head and bringing them quickly back down to the water. The effect was exactly what he had wanted it to be. The entire front side of Hermione was drenched.

"Charlie!" she squealed loudly, laughing despite the fact that she was soaked.

"Yes?" he asked, having moved toward the middle of the pond.

"You're going to get it!" she exclaimed, getting into the pond.

"Promises, promises," he taunted her happily as she swam furiously in his direction. Much to his surprise, she was an excellent swimmer. Hermione reached him in record time, using all of her limbs to splash him up on side and down the other. When she was quite exhausted, she stood up to look at Charlie, who had his arms folded over his bare chest, eyes closed.

_Thank Merlin for dragon handling, _she found herself thinking as she looked at his chiseled chest. Charlie opened his eyes, catching her staring and grinned.

"Are you finished?" he asked, amused.

"Splashing you or looking at you?" she found herself asking, much to her shock. _Where did that come from? _she thought. _I defiantly HAVE been hanging around Ginny too much. _

"Both," Charlie replied, grinning widely. He loved that Hermione felt open enough to admit that she had been checking him out.

"For now," she answered shyly, blushing.

"Then its my turn," he insisted coming towards her, arms out to grab her.

She tried to get away quickly, but he was quicker. Charlie grabbed her around her waist and went under the water with her. When they came back up she giggled and began trying to wiggle herself around so that she could splash him properly. After a few rounds of going under, Hermione found herself exhausted.

"I call uncle," she exclaimed loudly, causing Charlie to loosen his grip on her. "I'm exhausted!" she added,laughing.

"You're beautiful," Charlie declared,looking her straight in the eyes.

Blushing furiously she patted her hair down. "Yeah right. I probably look like a drowned rat."

"No you don't," he insisted, wading slowly towards were she was sitting on the bank. He stopped directly in front of the brown haired girl and moved a piece of her hair behind an ear. "You're breath taking."

She looked up into his eyes and saw that he believe every word that he was saying.

"Thank you," she whispered, not exactly sure how to react to this gorgeous man complementing her. Hermione watched as he came closer, moving yet another stray piece of hair. Her eyes widened as she saw that he was closing in, slowly lowering himself towards her lips.

"Hey, can we join you?" asked a voice a few feet away.

Hermione backed up quickly, happy that someone had interrupted them. She wanted to kiss the handsome man, but she didn't know if she could handle being kissed by two Weasley boys within twenty four hours of each other.

She quickly turned to see Ron, Luna, Ginny and Harry walking towards them, towels draped over their shoulders.

"Sure. The more the merrier," Charlie replied sarcasticly, causing his sister to laugh.

"You've had the pond to yourself for the last hour. It's time you share," she informed her older brother.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Charlie grumbled. Ginny put her towel next to where Hermione was sitting and ran and jumped, practically on top of Charlie, drenching him.

"Why you little," he started laughing but was cut off by two more splashes from Harry and Ron.

Hermione laughed as she watched the four rough house, completely carefree.

"You okay, Hermione?" Luna asked as she sat her towel out and took a seat next to her.

"Yes, I think I am," she replied, smiling at the blond reassured.

"You don't have to talk to me about what you are going through. However, my ears are always open and my mouth never over flows," Luna said sweetly as she leaned back on her arms to soak up the sun.

"You know Luna, before this is all over, I might have to take you up on that," Hermione said.

Luna smiled. "You know where to find me."

When Hermione woke up the day before they were to leave for Hogwarts, she was excited. With all of the drama of the whole marriage law thing, she hadn't done much in way of preporation for her return to school.

"Why are you smiling so early in the morning? And why are you packing? You have ALL day," Ginny grumbled from her bed.

"Because, Ginevra, not all of us are procrastinators are we," Hermione replied, smiling sweetly at her room mate.

"This is the last day before school though," the red head mumbled from under the pillow she had thrown over her head. "We should be sleeping as late as we can."

"I did sleep as late as I could," Hermione teased. "You know I'm an early riser."

"Merlin help the man who ends up with you," Ginny said, lifting the pillow briefly to show her friend she was teasing.

Hermione grinned evily. "You know, Harry gets up pretty early as well."

"Yes, but there are ways that I can keep him in bed," Ginny replied suggestively as she sat up.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed laughing. "You better hope your brothers didn't heard that."

"We're engaged, for Merlin's sake. They can get over it," the young girl replied, shrugging. "If you're not going to sleep in today, are you at least going to keep your p.j.s on?'

"I plan on it. There's no where else I need to be today," Hermione said, picking up a book she had just recently gotten.

"Oh, is that the book that Malfoy sent you?" Ginny asked, walking over to sit on her room mates bed.

"Yes, it is," she answered smiling.

After they had left the ice cream shop the afternoon of their date, Draco had asked her if she would like to go look at the book store, which Hermione had immediately accepted. They looked for awhile, Hermione seeing many books she would love to read more. She had wondered into the fiction section of the store, fully interested in maybe reading some light, wizarding reading. The book that had caught her attention was called, 'Pure, Muggleborn Love.' She read the back of the book, which talked about a muggle born girl who had come to fall in love with a pure blood wizard and the challenges that they faced. As she was about to open the front of the book, Draco had come around the corner to see if she was ready to leave. Startled, she quickly placed the book back on the shelf, not wanting him to see her reading a romance novel.

A day later a package had arrived with a letter attaced to it.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Yesterday was truly one of the best days I have ever spent with anyone. I hope that you enjoyed yourself as much as I did._

_I bought this book for you. I hope you like it. I noticed you looking at it right before we left Flourish and Blotts and decided to come back and buy it for you._

_I look forward to seeing you when we go back to school._

_Yours, _

_Draco_

"Is it a good book?" Ginny wondered, bringing Hermione back to the present.

"It is quiet romantic," Hermione replied. "I'll let you borrow it after I'm finished."

"No thanks. I think I 'll have plenty of reading to do while at school," Ginny replied as a knock came from the door.

"Come in," they called.

The door opened slowly and a black head popped in cautiously. "Everyone decent in here?'

Hermione laughed. "Well, I am, but I don't know about Ginny. The verdicts still out on her."

Harry raised an eyebrow, about to ask what she meant, but quickly thought better of it. Somethings are better left unknown.

"Mrs. Weasley asked me to tell you that breakfast is ready," he informed the girls, snaking his arm around his fiancee waist, pulling her close for a quick kiss.

"Oh thanks," Ginny said, smiling up at him.

"We're coming right now," Hermione added, placing her book beside her trunk, in case she decided to read a little later on in the day.

They made their way down to the breakfast table, where everyone was waiting.

_Everyone but the twins, that is, _Hermione thought as she took her seat next to Charlie who grinned down at her, handing a cup of coffee over.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling.

"Your welcome," he replied, winking at her.

"Tuck in, everyone," Mrs. Weasley said, passing bowls around.

Hermione looked over to where the twins usually sat and had to hold back a sigh. Since the night Fred had kissed her, she hadn't heard a word from him. He left for work before George and returned home late in the evening. George had been at breakfast and home for dinner every night, always saying that Fred was off doing something he didn't even know. Hermione and George would talk for awhile each night, about tons of things. She found that she had been enjoying his company, even if his twin had become a mystery to her in the last week.

"Where's George this morning?" Ginny asked, almost reading Hermione's mind.

"He said something about having a busy day ahead. That's all I know," Mrs. Weasley answered. "Charlie, what time do you have to leave today?"

"After breakfast. Hagrid needs help getting the boats and carriages ready for tomorrow," her son answered. He looked over at Hermione and smiled sadly. They had been getting to know each other quiet a bit, slowly but surely. When they arrived at Hogwarts, they knew it would be difficult to have much time together with him being a professor and all. Charlie had told Professor McGonagall about petitioning Hermione. She had been happy and had just said that while Hermione was in Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid would be her teacher and if things got serious between them, he would not be allowed to hold her hand or kiss her during lesson time.

_But all other times are free and open, _he found his self thinking happily.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Mr. Weasley wondered as he stood to answer the door. "Oh, good morning, Luna."

"Luna!" Ron exclaimed with his mouth full.

"Good morning future in-laws," the blond greeted them as she walked into the kitchen, carrying a small package.

"Luna, dear, its so good to see you. Come eat some breakfast," Mrs. Weasley stood from her seat and hugged her future daughter in law tightly. She retrieved a plate from the cabniet and sat it beside Ron.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," she said, taking the seat beside her fiancee and kissing his check, causing it to turn bright pink.

"What's in the package?" Ginny asked, passing Luna some strawberries.

"I'm not sure. My father said that it was left on our doorstep this morning with a note asking that I bring this package over to Hermione," she replied.

"To me?" the brown haired girl asked, shocked.

"Could it be something dark?" Charlie asked instantly, looking over the package suspiciously.

"My father did many spells over it to check it before allowing me to carry it over here,"Luna informed them.

Hermione took the package and sat in front of her, the breakfast forgotten. After pulling her wand out of the pocket of her pajama pants, she slowly opened the package with the other hand. Nothing exploded or slithered out of the small package, so she picked it up and stuck her want into it, mumbling a few words to see if anything dark or evil was waiting for her. Satisfied when nothing happened, she put her want down and looked inside. Hermione pulled out two pieced of parchment and a single yellow Gerber daisy, her favorite.

"Whoes that from?" Charlie asked, sounding annoyed.

"I'm not sure, Charlie. I just receive it," Hermione replied, sounding equally as annoyed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sound short," he quickly apologized, not wanting to make her upset.

"That's alright," she assured him opening the piece of parchement that read,'Read this one first.'

_Here's a challenge, just for you;_

_I wonder if you'll see it through._

_Today is a day of hide and seeking,_

_It won't help you at all to try and peekie._

_Surprises and flowers you'll find on your journey,_

_Don't worry, Charlie, she won't come back on a gurney._

_I hope you will follow these simple directions, _

_Not sure what my heart will do with rejection._

_I'll be waiting to see you at the end of this day,_

_And I promise I won't hold back what I have to say._

_Your Forever Admirer._

Hermione's mouth was gaped opened, not knowing what to say.

"What does it say? What does it say?" Ginny demanded, excepting the page from Hermione. The young red head read the parchment, a smirk quickly appearing on her face.

"A scavenger hunt," Ginny said excitedly. "What's the other piece of paper?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied, opening the other piece of parchment while Ginny read the poem aloud to the table.

_Here's where you are to go first:_

_Honeydukes, Hogsmeade_

_There will be clues as to who I am at every stop. If you like, you can bring one of your girlfriends along._

"Who do you think it is?" Ron wondered, eating a piece of sausage.

"I don't know, but I don't like it," Charlie answered, folding his arms over his chest.

"You don't have to like it, son. It has to do with Hermione, not you," Mr. Weasley replied.

"Are you going to do it, Hermione?" Harry wondered, smiling slightly. He thought he had a pretty good idea who this person could be.

"I'm thinking about it," she replied, smiling slightly. The thought of going on a fun scavenger hung was too alluring to pass up.

"I should go with you," Charlie said, looking at Hermione pleadingly.

She put her hand over his and smiled. "You are suppose to go to Hogwarts today. I don't want you to get in trouble. And if it makes you feel better, this person suggested that I bring Ginny or Luna along."

"Really?" Ginny squealed excitedly,looking at the other piece of parchment.

"It doesn't, but I suppose it will have to do," he replied. Charlie looked at his watch and sighed. "I better go."

"Be careful," Molly replied, standing to hug her departing son.

"I always am, Mum," Charlie replied, hugging her back.

Hermione stood to walk him to the fireplace in the living room. He would be flooing to McGonagalls office.

"You be careful today, alright," he told her, hugging her tightly.

"I will," she promised, breathing in his scent; smoke and trees, a smell that Hermione had grown quiet fond of.

Charlie leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, shocking her.

"See you soon," he replied before picking up a hand of floo powder and threw it down, saying, "Hogwarts Head Mistress Office."

"That was interesting," Ginny replied, coming up from behind her. "You still going to go on this scavenger hunt?"

Hermione gently touched her lips that still tingled the tiniest bit. "Yes I think so. If I didn't, I would always wonder what if, you know what I mean?"

"Then lets go get ready,"Ginny said, excitedly.

"I thought you wanted me to stay in my p.j.'s all day," Hermione teased.

"I did, but not now. Who knows, maybe your prince Charming will be waiting for you at the end of the day," Ginny replied.

"Yeah, maybe," Hermione replied, as she followed her friend up the stairs to get ready for her new adventure.

**So what did you think? Let me know please by reviewing. If you have any ideas, let me know and I'll try to put them in here. :) Happy Reading. **


	9. Chapter 9

Dear Readers,

I hate doing this to you, however, for a while all of my stories are on hiatus. I'm very, very sorry. There are somethings that have happened in my personal life that I need to take care of and I can't write and take care of these. So, until I can fix my personal life...this is it. I love you all and you have no clue how happy all of you make me. I need to grown up and take some responsibility. This includes giving up reading fic too. Its going to be hard, really hard, but I'm going to do it...because I have to. Again...I am so sorry.

Misti D


	10. Chapter 10

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 9

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Hermione asked Luna as she and Ginny were about to leave.

"I'm sure. Ron and I need to discuss wedding plans with Mrs. Weasley," she said, smiling.

"Oh, alright. Have fun with that," the brown haired girl teased, looking through the window to where Molly Weasley was setting out notebooks, magazines, and calenders.

"We will," Luna assured her.

"If anything looks suspicious, send a patronus and I'll be right there," Harry told his fiancee', kissing her gently on the lips.

"Everything will be fine," Ginny promised, squeezing Harry tightly before walking over to stand next to Hermione.

"We'll see you in a while," Hermione said before pulling out her want and apparating to Hogsmead.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

As Mrs. Weasley was gathering the various magazines and things she would need to help plan a wedding, a head popped into her fireplace.

"Pss! Mum are you alone?" the voice whispered loudly.

"Merlin, George! You scared the stuffing out of me," she said, grabbing her chest.

"Sorry, Mum. Are you alone?" he asked once again, looking around the living room.

"Yes, everyone else is out seeing Ginny and Hermione off."

A giant grin spread across his face. "Oh good. I'm glad she's bringing Ginny," he said.

"George!" his mother exclaimed, happily pulling a chair closer to the fireplace so they could whisper. "Are you going to petition Hermione? Was the Scavenger Hunt your idea?"

"Yes, I plan on being at her final destination. That's what I need your help with. And actually Fred helped me come up with everything," George replied.

_Oh Merlin, _Molly thought. _Poor Fred. _"What do you need my help with dear?"

"So you'll help me?" he asked, sounding generally surprised.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I help you?" his mother wondered, sounding slightly hurt.

"I don't know, I just thought that you wanted Hermione to end up with Charlie," George said, sounding more vulnerable then Molly had ever heard her son.

"George, to be honest, as long as Hermione is with one of my boys, I'll be thrilled. As long as she is happy and as long as you are happy, that's all that matters to me. Just because I helped Charlie, doesn't mean I won't help you," Mrs. Weasley told her son, wishing desperately that he was there in person so that she could hug him.

"So you wouldn't mind if she picked me?" he asked, grinning.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, laughing. "So, what do you need me to do?"

Hermione was extremely nervous as she and Ginny walked into Honeydukes.

"Mione, you're shaking," Ginny observed.

"I know. I can't stop either," she replied, taking deep breaths trying to calm her nervous.

"Why are you so nervous? He's not going to be here," the red head said as they walked through the isles looking for something that could be a clue.

"I know that. It's just, no ones ever done something like this for me. Its so..." Hermione stopped walking, to try and come up with the appropriate word.

"Creative, thoughtful, romantic," Ginny supplied helpfully.

"Yes, all of those. I'm insanely nervous to meet someone like this," the young with admitted.

"No need to be nervous. You've probably known him for years," her friend replied as they continued to walk around the store.

"Can I help you? Oh! Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley! I've been expecting you!" the store owner Mr. Flume greeted them happily.

"You've been expecting us?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I have. I received an owl this morning morning requesting that I give you this piece of parchment and this pack of sugar quills. The note said it was for the marriage law and that he was trying to be romantic and send you on a Scavenger hung to find him. So, of course I agreed," the shop owner gushed happily. Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances. They knew how Mr. Flume was when he got started; he never stopped.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Flume. How much do we owe you for these delicious sugar quills?" Hermione asked, holding up the pack of her all time favorite candies.

"Nothing, dear. The young man sent me two times the amount they cost. He said because of the extra mile I was going in service it was only right," he informed them.

"Well, thank you very much," Ginny replied as she and Hermione walked out the door, parchment and candy in hand. They made their way over to a little bench that sat in front of the candy store.

"Open it!" Ginny demanded, excitedly, causing Hermione to laugh.

"Alright. Should I read it aloud?"

"Yes!" the red head replied, grinning.

Hermione untied the ribbon from around the rolled up parchment.

_Thank you for deciding to give me your day,_

_It made me so happy that you came all of this way._

_I know that these sugar quills are your favorite candy,_

_and that having them around when you study is rather handy._

_Clue number one for your my dear,_

_Is that we've come to this spot together-yes right here._

_I've bought you those candies several times, _

_When you were happy and sad, all the time wishing you were mine._

_But that's all you need to know about me for now,_

_Its time I tell you where you are going, I promise you'll say "WoW'._

_Follow the road that you both know so well,_

_To a castle that's sitting on a hill, where we've often heard the ringing of a bell._

_Our dear Professor McGonagall will let you come in,_

_I'm sure she'll ask you where you have been._

_Thanks again for agreeing to go on this journey. I hope you are having fun._

Ginny and Hermione looked at one another after the letter was done.

"Wow," the red head replied, causing Hermione to laugh.

"I wonder how this guy got Professor McGonagall to allow us to come up to Hogwarts," Hermione mused as they began making the short trip up to their home away from home.

"I don't know, but she has to like whoever this is, otherwise there's no way she would allow it," Ginny replied.

"That's very true," the smart young witch agreed as the castle came into view.

"So whose bought you sugar quills," her friend wondered, grinning.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "The better question would be, who hasn't bought me sugar quills. All of my guy friends have; Harry, Ron, Lee, Neville, Seamus, George...Fred," her voice trailed off at the mention of the twin she hadn't talked to in a while.

"Well, you know its not Ron or Harry," Ginny said. "I do know one thing about this guy, though."

"What's that?" Hermione asked as they walked through the gates that opened widely for them.

"Whoever he is, he can not write poetry," she answered, causing both of them to laugh.

"It's the thought that counts," Hermione insisted as they past the lake, where they saw Charlie and Hagrid placing the boats into the water.

"Hermione, Ginny! What are you doin' 'ere?" Hagrid greeted them, walking towards where they had stopped on the path. Charlie grinned widely and followed quickly behind him.

"Couldn't wait to see me?" Charlie teased, hugging Hermione tightly, gaining an approving grin from Hagrid.

"Actually, Hogwarts is on her Scavenger hunt. Apparently this mystery man talked Professor McGonagall into letting him use the castle as one of his clues."

The smile that had previously taken up Charlie's face was quickly replaced by an annoyed glare.

"What Scavenger hunt?" the game's keeper asked, intrigued.

"Someone else is trying to petition Hermione," the Weasley male answered angrily.

"Its actually quiet romantic, Charlie," Ginny told her brother, grinning.

"It might be romantic, but no ones better then Charlie 'ere'," Hagrid replied loyally, patting his assistant on the back.

"Thanks Hagrid," Charlie said.

"We had better get up to the castle. I'm sure the professor is waiting none to patiently," Hermione said, blushing when she realized that Charlie's arms were still securely around her.

"Hagrid, would you mind if I went to the castle with the girls? I'll be back soon," Charlie asked.

Hagrid smiled and nodded. "Course you can. Think I'll take a break me self," the giant of a man replied.

"I'll see you in a bit," the red head called after Hagrid, who was walking towards his hut.

"Charlie, you really didn't have to come up here," Hermione said as he took a hold of her hand.

"I know I didn't, but I wanted to," he insisted, winking.

"Of course you did. He wanted to come with you ever since you got the first one this morning," Ginny replied as the front door to the castle opened slowly.

"Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley," Professor McGonagall greeted the ladies. She looked at the assistant Games keeper. "Aren't you suppose to be helping Hagrid?"

"He said we needed a break," the Weasley man replied, shrugging.

"I'm sure he did. Well, I was asked to tell you to go to the Gryffindor tower," the professor informed the girls. "You have thirty minutes and then you need to leave so that we can get some things done in the tower."

"Do you know who it is?" Charlie asked.

"Mr. Weasley, I do not believe that is your business and if it was, I still wouldn't tell you," Professor McGonagall said sternly and turned and walked away.

"You really thought she would tell you?" Ginny asked, laughing as they walked up the moving staircase toward the Gryffindor tower.

"I thought it was worth a shot to try," he replied, agitated.

"I guess whoever is writing you is a Gryffindor," Hermione decided.

"One would think. Do you remember ever letting anyone else into the common room?" Ginny wondered.

"No," her friend answered as they stopped in front of the familiar portrait of the fat lady.

"Ah, Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley! Professor McGonagall informed me you would be visiting me today," the big women greeted the two young ladies happily.

"Do we need to tell you a password?" Hermione asked the lady politely.

"What was the last password from last year?" the painting asked.

Hermione looked at Ginny for the answer. She hadn't been in the tower at all the previous school year.

"House Loyalty," Ginny said, causing the portrait smile and open the door.

"Its been forever since I've been in here," Charlie said, looking around with a far off look in his eyes.

"It's the one place that didn't change last year," Ginny replied, smiling sadly.

They looked around the room, all deep in their own thoughts.

Hermione wondered over to the table that she had always claimed as her own, even in first year. It was in the back corner, farthest away from the center of everything. She grinned widely when she found a piece of parchment and a Gerber Daisy.

Deciding to read this one alone, she sat down in her chair and began to read.

_Hi! I'm glad you found this over here. (Oh and to let you know, I'm not trying to rhyme anymore. I'm bloody awful at it.) I remember seeing you over here so often all alone, studying. I wanted to come over and talk with you, but I knew you were studying and didn't like to be bothered._

_I loved to watch you from across the room. You always looked so peaceful; so beautiful. Yes, I've been watching you from a far for a while now. Usually I'm not a shy person, but these feelings that I have for you are so strange. Okay, enough sap for now! _

_Here is your clue. I have many friends, but only one person knows me, truly know me._

_The Professor will be downstairs waiting with instructions on where to go next!_

"You found it?" Ginny asked as the two Weasley's made their way over to where she sat, slightly shell shocked by what she just read.

"Yes," Hermione replied, standing and putting the letter in her jeans pocket, holding onto the Gerber Daisy. "It said to go to McGonagall for the clue on where to go next."

"What did the letter say?" Ginny asked, watching Hermione's face closely.

"I just told you," Hermione snapped at the red head girl.

"Is something wrong, Hermione?" Charlie asked, coming to stand close to her.

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry Ginny, Charlie. Here," she pulled the letter out of her jeans and handed it over to them to read.

As they quickly looked over it, Hermione thought about all clues she had so far. One: he knew what her favorite candy was. Two: he is very well liked, but only one person truly knows him. _And of course there are all of the other clues, _she thought. _He knows where I am staying, he is most likely a Gryffindor and he's watched me from a far._

"Thats interesting," Ginny observed as they joined Hermione by the door.

"Yeah,it was," the brown haired girl replied, opening the portrait door. Charlie held onto Hermione's hand tightly as they made their way down the stairs. He didn't say anything; he was deep in thought over the letter they had just read.

"Finally," they heard the voice of Professor McGonagall say as they made it to the ground floor. "Charlie, Hagrid is looking for you. And girls, here is the port key that will take you to your next destination," she informed them, handing over a muggle rubber duck.

"A port key?" Charlie asked, slightly annoyed. He was beginning to think that he had a clue as to who this man was.

"A rubber duck?" Hermione asked, laughing. She couldn't help it...the rubber duck thing was hilarious.

"Yes, a port key, which will be leaving in four minutes. I suggest you go outside, seeing that it won't work here in the castle."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione replied. The older women shooed them out of the castle, holding a smile back.

"There you are, Charlie," Hagrid's voice boomed from across the way.

"I had better go," he said reluctantly, holding onto Hermione's hand.

"I'll see you tommorow night," she promised him, standing on her tip toes to kiss his check, causing him to smile.

"Alright," he said, pulling her into a tight bear hug. He let her go and walked back over to help Hagrid.

"I suppose we had better both hold onto this thing," Ginny said, holding out the yellow duck for Hermone to grab. A few moments later, the girls felt the duck warm up and they were quickly taken away.

"Blimey! Where did those two go?" Hagrid asked Charlie as they finished putting the boats in the lake.

"I'm not sure. To another place on their Scavenger Hunt with lover boy," Charlie answered bitterly.

"Do you know who he is?"Hagrid wondered.

"I think I might," the Weasley replied.

"Well, I believe we have nothin' else to do for a while if you need to be goin' anywhere," the games keeper said pointedly.

Charlie grinned and patted Hagrid on the back. "Thanks, mate. I'll be back soon," he promised as he walked towards the gates to the apparition point .

"Where are we?" Ginny asked as they landed in the middle of no where.

"I'm not sure," Hermione said as she slowly pulled her wand out of her pocket, just to be on the safe side.

They began walking towards a clearing up the path that they were on.

"Oh my gosh," Hermione gasped as they came to the clearing.

"What? What's wrong?" Ginny demanded, quickly pulling her own wand out.

"Put that away before someone sees it," Hermione instructed, quickly following her own directions as a pair of muggle hikers passed by them.

"Where are we?" the read head asked, completly confused.

"Don't you remember? This is the camp ground where we stayed during the Quidditch World cup," Hermione replied, taking in the less crowded camp ground.

"Bloody hell, you're right," Ginny gasped. "Where do you think your clue could be?"

"I don'tk now. Let's go to the office and check there." They walked over to the small office and opened the door, causing a little bell to ding.

"Good afternoon. I'll be right with you," a voice called from the back room. A young man with sandy blond hair walked into the lobby. When he saw the two ladies in front of him, he grinned widely.

"Ms. Granger, Ms. Weasley. I've been waiting for you," he told them sweetly.

"How do you know our names?" Hermione demanded, pulling her wand out of her pocket, but keeping it out of site.

"A man came in about thirty minutes ago and gave me fifty pounds to give you this piece of paper and this bag. And he told me to tell you there is only a few more stops," the man informed the two.

"And how did you know it was us?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"He showed me a picture," he replied.

"Well, thank you," Hermione said, taking the parchment and the bag .

"Your welcome, ladies. Have a great day," the man said as he watched the two girls walk out of the office area.

_And none to soon, _the young man thought as he felt himself become taller. He touched his hair, that had moments before been smooth. It was now back to its normal, dread locks. He moved quickly from behind the desk just in time for the door to open.

"Okay, Mr. Jordan, I have your camp site all set up for you," the young man with sandy blonde hair informed the wizard, smiling.

"Thank you so much," Lee Jordan said happily. George owed him, big time.

**So I know I said that we were going to be on hiatus, but I was sick and had nothing to do but write. I have 3 chapters of this story and one of each of my other stories. :) LOL. So much for hiatus. But yea for update. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. I'll put another chapter up as soon as I get tons of reviews. LOL. Happy reading. **


	11. Chapter 11

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 10

"So, what does this letter say?" Ginny wondered as they made there way back into the forest.

"I'm not sure. Should we open the bag first or read the letter?" Hermione asked.

"How about you read the letter and I'll open the bag," the red head suggested.

"Sounds good," the older witch said, unrolling the parchment.

_Hermione,_

_So, you remembered this place? The Quidditch World Cup is one thing I'll never forget. It was actually when I first __really __saw you. Its when I started falling for you. You always made it well known that you didn't like Quidditch, but your face lite up every time one of the players flew by._

_The figuresare kind of a clue for you this time. I hope you like them._

_The rubber duck will take you where you need to go next. Squeeze the middle three times and it will take you there when you are ready. _

"What are the figures?" Hermione wondered after reading the note aloud.

Ginny grinned widely. "Its a flying Viktor Krum and a leprechaun," she answered, holding up both.

"What?" her friend exclaimed, taking the little plastic toys. _Why on earth would this guy give me both of these? _"What does this mean?"

_Oh, Hermione, _Ginny thought, knowing full well who was behind the hunt now. _For being so smart, you really aren't using your brain. _"Well, Viktor is a seeker..."

Hermione gasped. "The leprechaun for the Irish. Do you think its Seamus?"

It took all of Ginny's will power not to slap Hermione up side her head. "I'm not sure. Why dont' we squeeze the duck and see where we end up?"

"Okay, that sounds good," Hermione agreed, pulling the duck out of her bag. Ginny placed the figures back in the bag they had been in and handed it over to Hermione who put them into her massive bag.

"You ready?" Ginny asked, holding onto Hermione's arm.

"I suppose," the girl replied, squeezing the duck three times. The yellow object tuned a deep orange and they quickly left their spot int the middle of the woods. Seconds later they found themselves standing on a doorstep that they hadn't seen in quite a while. Before either girl could gather their thoughts, the door opened quickly.

"Hey," a voice the both recognized greeted them.

"Harry?"

It had been a very busy morning at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Fred had been at the shop most of the day by himself while George was off setting up for his evening with Hermione.

_Stop feeling so jealous, _he scolded himself as he turned the open sign off for lunch. _George deserves to be happy with her and you've got to learn how to start talking with her again, especially if she's going to be with your twin._

Just as he was about to walk over to the door and lock it, someone walked through the door.

"I'm sorry, we're closed for lunch," Fred said, turning to see none other then Charlie.

"Where's George?" his big brother demanded, walking past him to the back of the shop.

"I thought you were suppose to be at Hogwarts helping Hagrid," Fred replied, following Charlie into their back room. Fred pulled out his lunch and took a seat at their work bench.

"I'm on a break," Charlie answered, taking a seat on the other stool."Where's George?" he asked again, watching as Fred opened the pouch that held a sandwich.

"He's out and about," the twin answered, holding out an apple. "Would you like one?"

"NO! Damn it Fred. Why won't you tell me where he is?" Charlie asked angrily.

"Why do you want to know so bad?" he asked, even though he already knew why.

"Don't play stupid. You do not do it well. Just tell me, is he the one who had Hermione and Ginny out on a wild goose chase?" the older brother said.

Fred took a bite of his sandwich, watching his older brother as he did. Charlie looked as if he was about to go crazy.

_He looks how I feel, _he thought to himself.

"You like her, don't you?" Fred asked.

"Hermione? Of course I do! Why else would I give her a petition? Is George going to petition her? Is that what all of this is about?" Charlie wondered.

The twin sighed and put down his sandwich. He wasn't really hungry anyway. "Charlie, there's a few things you don't know. While you've been away in Romania with your dragons, we've grown up."

"I know that," Charlie started, but was interrupted.

"But you don't know us anymore. You are just really beginning to get to know Hermione, but we've known her for over seven years. George has been in love with her since the Quidditch World Cup. He's watched her go from a little book worm know it all, to a smart, beautiful, loving women, who is full of life. And just when he was gathering his courage to ask her on a date, the Ministry comes up with this law and you and Malfoy swoop in like knights in shining armor. So if you came here to yell at George, because he's decided to go after this gorgeous women, then you can just back the hell off."

Charlie studied his younger brother for several minutes, surprised at his out burst. He stood from his stool and nodded, knowing that Fred was right.

"'All is fair in love and war,'" Charlie quoted, nodding.

"What?" Fred asked, not expecting his brother to be so calm.

"It's something mum said a few weeks back," he replied, shaking it off. "Well, when you see out brother, tell him I said good luck tonight."

"Okay, I will," Fred said, following him towards the door.

"Thanks. Oh and Fred?" Charlie called as he got to the door. "How long have you been in love with Hermione?"

"What? I'm not, I mean, I haven't... I don't know what you are talking about." Fred stammered, caught completely off guard by Charlie's question.

"Sure you don't," the older brother smirked. "Just because George has wanted her for years, doesn't mean he should have her. It doesn't mean he should have 'first dibs' on her. If you like her, you should pursue her, too."

Fred ran his hand through his hair, as he often did when he was upset or confused. "Why are you telling me this Charlie? Dont' you want to be with Hermione? If I were to petition her as well, that owuld be more competition for you."

"I know that, but its like what I said earlier. 'All is fair in love and war.' Think about it, okay," Charlie walked out of the shop and apparated away, leaving a very confused Fred alone. _Bloody hell, what am I suppose to do with that? _Fred wondered.

"What are we doing here?" Ginny asked as they walked into the foyer of 12 Grimmauld place.

"Why are you here?" Hermione added, looking over at her best friend who had lead them into the dining room.

"You are here, obviously because that duck brought you here," Harry teased as he put a kettle on the stove for some tea.

"Harry!" the girls exclaimed together, frightening the boy who lived. He wasn't scared of many things, but the wrath of his best friend and his fiance' was defiantly on the small list of things that scared him senseless.

"Alright, alright. A few minutes after you left, Mrs. Weasley set Luna and Ron down with her notebooks and magazines and told them to look through them while she talked to me about something. She then took me outside and asked me to come here and wait for you. She gave me this piece of parchment and this box to give to you," he said, taking a box off the table and handing it over to Hermione.

"Did she say who it was from?" his best friend asked, looking at the box. She was starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"No, she didn't. However, she did ask that you open the box first," Harry informed her as he put his arm around his fiancee'.

Hermione stood and pulled the rectangular box closer to her before carefully opening the box. there was a velvet pouch laying on top of layers of tissue paper. She picked up the pouch and opened it, pulling out a vial of WWW love potion, causing Hermione to laugh.

"What is it?" Ginny asked from her seat on Harry's lap.

"Love potion from your brother's shop," she informed them, setting the vial to the side. The love potion worked, but the effects lasted only for a few hours. That potion had been the topic of many conversations between Hermione and the twins. _Which one is it, though,_she asked herself as she moved the tissue paper out of the box.

"Oh my!" Hermione gasped as she saw what was under all of the paper.

"What is it?" Ginny asked again.

"Its a dress," she answered, pulling the beautiful flowered muggle sundress out of the box.

"Are those Gerber Daisy's?" the red head asked, smiling at the look of pure happiness that shined on Hermione's face.

"They look like it, don't they," Hermione agreed, holding the dress up to her body.

"Are you going to read the note or are you going to admire the dress all day?" Harry teased, getting up from his seat to fix their cups of tea.

"I actually forgot about the note," his best friend admitted, grinning sheepishly, causing Harry and Ginny to laugh.

Hermione placed the dress gently back into the box so nothing would get on it.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Have you guessed who I am yet? I'm pretty sure you have narrowed it down to my brother and I._

_Your clue this time is the love potion. I know we've had many discussions about this. You always telling us we shouldn't sell it, we always insisting that everyone needs a little love, even if its forced by potion. Good times. _

_So, is Harry at Grimmwald place with you? This is actually another clue for you...not Harry being there, but this place itself. When we stayed here a few years ago, I loved the talks we would have. They were about everything and anything; it always took my mind off of the crazy things that happened that year. Thanks for that. _

_So, if you would, meet me on the roof of our shop at 7:00 this evening. I'm looking forward to seeing your beautiful face._

_Yours Always._

Hermione looked over at Ginny, who had walked over to where she was standing to read the letter over her shoulder. "Which one do you think it it?" Hermione asked, taking a seat back at the table.

"I'm not sure," Ginny answered honestly, taking the tea that was offered to her.

"What do you mean which one? George has liked you for a long time," Harry said, curious as to what Hermione meant.

The girls exchanged looks and Hermione sighed, realizing she had put her foot in her mouth.

"What? Why would you think this was Fred?" Harry asked, looking between the two.

"Remember when I left your room when I found out Ron and Luna were together?" Hermione asked deciding to start at the beginning.

"Yes," her best friend replied cautiously, looking between the two girls.

"Well, I was kind of upset and I forgot people were in the dining room. Anyway, I guess Mrs. Weasley sent Fred out to check on me."

"Why did she send Fred out and not Charlie? Or you, Ginny?" Harry wondered.

"That is a good question," Hermione replied, looking over at the red head.

"Long story. Lets just say Mum got frustrated with Charlie and George for arguing over who would come to your rescue. Fred was the first one she saw and when he tried to have her send me, she was already beyond irritated. When she get like that, there's no changing her mind," Ginny answered.

"Okay, so what happened with Fred that makes you think he would be the one behind this whole thing?" Harry asked.

"Well, he listened to what I had to say, without judging me for the way I felt. He didn't try to pass his own agenda-he just let me talk. And then he...well...he.."

"What did he do?" Harry demanded, frustrated.

"He kissed me," Hermione answered quietly, blushing furiously.

"He kissed you?" he replied, shocked. _How on Earth could he do that to his own twin, _he thought.

"Does George know?" Harry asked suddenly sound very tired.

"No!" Hermione replied quickly. "No one knows but you and Ginny. And that's the way I want it to stay."

"But," Harry started, but was stopped.

"No buts, Harry James Potter. Its none of your business. She isn't engaged to anyone and George hasn't asked her out. You need to stay out of it," Ginny scolded him, looking very much like Molly Weasley with her hands on her hips.

"Alright," he promised, sighing. "I just don't want anyone to get hurt. Especially you Hermione. You're like my little sister."

Hermione smiled and walked around the table to hug him. "I'll go my best not to get hurt, I promise." He squeezed her tightly, trying to convey how he was feeling all in that hug.

"Alright. Now that you've made her cry, I have to get her ready to meet my brother," Ginny said, teasing her fiancee'.

"Did I make you cry?" Harry asked, worriedly, quickly pulling away from his best friend to check on her.

"Just a tear or two," she assured him, laughing. Hermione looked at her watch and began to panic.

"Oh Merlin, Ginny, its five! I look horrible! How am I going to be ready in time? I've got leaf's in my hair, for Merlin's sake!"

Ginny laughed. "We'll fix you up, I promise. Harry, we're going to use one of the bathrooms."

"That's fine. I'll make more tea and bring some up. Oh and Mrs. Weasley asked me to give you this bag. I think that its some girl stuff," Harry said, handing Ginny the bag. She looked through it and grinned. "Thank you Mum. She must really want you as a daughter-in-law," she teased Hermione, causing her to blush. "Lets go get you ready," the red heads said, grabbing the bag and box and leading her friend upstairs.

George stood in the apartment about the shop, trying to calm his nerves. Everything was done; there was nothing more he could do. Except to get ready.

He looked down at the outfit that he had decide to wear for the occasion. He had though about wearing dress robes, but didn't want to look like a stupid git. So since she was wearing a muggle sundress (at least that's what the sales lady had called it) he decided to wear a muggle outfit as well. Fleur had helped him with the dress ans so she decided to help him with his outfit as well. She picked out tan colored pants, brown 'man' sandals ("You vill look very nice," Fleur had assure him) and a loose fitting white dress shirt. _I guess she knows what she's doing, _he thought as he started getting ready to see the girl of his dreams.

"So, how do I look?" Hermione asked as she twirled around in the foyer of 12 Grimmwald place.

"Beautiful," Ginny replied from the circle of Harry's arms.

"Breath taking," her best friend added earnestly. Harry hadn't seen Hermione look so beautiful since their forth year at the Yule Ball. She had a natural glow about her, this excitement that radiated off of her.

"Thank you," the brown haired beauty replied, smiling. "So, should I apparate to the roof or what?"

"Why don't you apparate out front of the shop?" Ginny suggested.

"Probably the best since I'm not sure what the roof looks like," Hermione agreed, sighing nervously. "Wish me luck."

"You'll be fine," Harry assured her as she opened the front door to step onto the porch.

"I hope so," she replied, pulling her want out. "See you later," Hermione said in way of good bye.

Seconds later, she found herself in the streets of Diagon Alley, right in front of the joke shop. She boldly walked to the front door,with its closed sign on and opened the door. As Hermone walked deeper into the shop, seh noticed an arrow made of Gerber Daisy's pointing towards the back of the shop. She smiled at the flowers as she passed them walking into the back room. She noticed a work bench and piles of boxes everywhere. In the corner or the room stood a staircase with pieces of flowers all the way up the stairs.

_Here we go, _Hermione thought as she followed the flower petals up two flights of stairs. When she opened the door to the roof, the scene that met her left her breathless.

White lights magically outlined the roof beautifully, making twilight look eve more gorgeous then it was by itself. There was a blanket laid out on the ground with a basket in the middle, pillows being used as weight to hold down the blanket. And standing in the middle of it all was a gorgeous red head, looking at her as if she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Hi," Hermione greeted him shyly, still standing in the doorway.

"Hello. Fancy meeting you here," the young man teased,breaking the ice.

"It is rather suspicious, isn't it?" she agreed, playing along as she walked further onto the roof.

"It is, almost as if someone sat this whole thing up, just so you would end up here on the roof with me," the twin said, smiling as Hermione walked closer, coming to a stop right in front of him.

"Thank you, George," she replied, taking the young mans hand.

"For what? I haven't really done anything, yet," he insisted, pulling her down onto the blanket to sit with him.

"You haven't done anything yet? George, you sent me on a scavenger hunt and had a note and gift at every turn. That took a ton of time, thought and effort. I've never had anyone do anything so thoughtful and romantic for me. You are making me feel like a princess, like I'm the only girl in the world. I've never felt this special," Hermione replied, looking into Georges eyes.

He grinned widely and took both of her hands in his. "Mione, you've been the only girl in my world for a while now. You're the only onoe I've seen for a long time now. I just wish that I'd had the courage to ask you out properly,before all of the Marriage Law rubbish came about."

"Well, screw the Marriage Law," Hermione found herself saying angrily.

"What do you mean? You won't consider my petition?" George asked, looking as if he had just been shot in the chest.

Hermione got on her knees right in front of him and put her hand on either side of his face. She didn't give a damn if she was being unlady like or if she was flashing everyone in Diagon Alley. She had to make him understand.

"Of course I'll consider your petition! Of the ones I've received, I'd say you know me best, especially if that Scavenger Hunt is any indication. What I'm saying is who cares about the Marriage Law. You say you've like me for a while now, that you wish you would have asked me out before. Whose to say we can't date now?"

"You want to date me?" George asked, astonished with the way the converstation had turned. "But what about Malfoy and Charlie? You've promised to consider them."

Hermione sighed and sat down on the blanket. "I did and I'm going to uphold that. But i want to fall in love and the only way I see that happening is if I date, like I would have before the law happened. Would that be alright with you?" she asked shyly, wondering if she had said too much to this man who had treated her to on the best days of her life.

George pulled Hermione into his arms ans was ecstatic when she wrapped her arms around him. "Mione, I feel so happy that you said you would consider my petition. For you to say that you want to date me is just an added bonus. However I can be around you is just fine with me."

"Really?" she asked, leaning back to look and see if he was telling the truth.

George beamed down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. "Really."

**I hope you like this. I won't waste your time with excuses. Crap happens. LOL...Please review so I will know if you are still interested in this story. Otherwise, I might not write anymore. :) Happy Reading. **


	12. Chapter 12

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 11

In the early morning hours of September 1, in a pub called the Hogs head, sat two red heads, who had keep the over night bar keeper quite busy over the last few hours.

"Just because she said she would date him, doesn't mean she's all his," the older of the pair slurred. "She told him she would up hold her promise to consider my petition, and I think she's a women of her word."

"But what about me?" the other red head demanded for the hundredth time, slamming his glass of fire whiskey down onto the bar. "The whole scavenger hunt was my idea! It was some of my best work. How am I suppose to top my own work?" He took a sip of his drink, sighing dramatically. "And how am I suppose to go after the girl that my twin is in love with?"

"Very carefully, I'd say," the other red head replied, laughing loudly. The bell above the door dinged, causing them to turn to see who would be joining them.

"Thank Merlin," the bar keep breathed when he saw none other then Arthur Weasley come and take a seat beside his older son. "Took you long enough."

"Sorry about that. Had to come up with an excuse to Molly so she wouldn't worry," he replied, looking over his two drunken boys. "Charlie, Fred, what are you doing?"

"Having a drink," Fred slurred, sliding his glass over to his dad. "Would you like some?"

"No, I think you two have drank enough for the whole family," he said, taking both of the drinks from his sons. "Charlie, you have to greet a few hundred kids in a matter of hours. I suggest you drink some of this and go grab a few hours of sleep. You wouldn't want the wrath of Minerva now would you?" Arthur handed him a vial of liquid to help with a hangover and to sober him up a bit.

"No, i dont' want to wrath of Professor McGonagal. Thanks Dad. Good luck, Fred," Charlie said before walking out of the bar, taking a swing of the potion as he did.

"You going to send me on my way with some of that, too?" Fred asked.

"No, I'm going to have you drink some of it while we have a little chat," Arthur answered, handing him another of the vial. Fred did as he was asked to do and unscrewed the bottle and took a drink.

"This stuff is bloody awful," he replied, making a face in disgust.

"Yes it is, but it will help you sober up quickly. So, why are you drinking into the wee hours of the morning? And why is Charlie with you instead of George?" his father inquired.

Fred shrugged and took another drink of the potion, just for something to keep his self busy so he won't have to answer his father's questions.

Arthur studied his son as he figited with the top off of the vial. After a few minutes of silence he sighed. "Well, I'll tell you what your mother thinks is going on."

"I thought you said you didn't tell mum where you were going," Fred replied, confused.

"Merlin, no! One thing I can tell you right here is if you ever get called out of your bed in the middle of the night, tell your wife where you are going. What I said was I was trying to calm her down so she wouldn't worry so much," his father answered.

"Oh."

"What your mother thinks is wrong with you involves matters of the heart. She things you are in love with Hermione," he informed his son, watching intently to his reaction.

Fred tried very hard not to show any emotion, but not all of the potion had been drunk, therefore leaving a trace of alcohol still in his system. His red checks were enough confirmation for his father. "How did mum find out?"

"Oh, your mother has a way of finding out tons of things. I've always told her she should work for the Ministry; no one would ever be able to lie to her and get away with it. she can smell things like this a mile away," Arthur replied, grinning at the thought of his better half. He loved her so much.

Fred smiled slightly at the thought of his mother working at the Ministry. "She would have it in tip top shape in no time."

"That she would," his father agreed. He patted his son on the back and scooted the stool he was sitting on closer. "Fred, if you love her, you have to at least give her a chance to chose. I know George is your best friend and it would be hard on him for awhile. But don't you think that he would eventually forgive you if he knew she was happy? Love is doing what's best for the other person, even if its as hard as hell to do it."

"But she's already so confused. I know she is already worried about George and Charlie's relationship. I heard her talking to Ginny about it tonight. I don't want to be the cause of more heartache and worry for her," Fred confessed.

Arthur smiled. "You really are growing up," he replied, looking at his son with great respect. "If you love her and want to get a shot, so to speak, come up with something subtle. Go about it a whole different way. You're a bright wizard, you'll figure it out."

"Thanks dad," he replied, smiling for the first time all night.

"No problem. Why don't we go and get a few hours of sleep before I have to take a group of kids to meet a train," his father suggested, yawning, causing Fred to laugh.

"Alright, old man," he teased good natured. He turned to the bar keep who had been cleaning during their talk. "Thanks for staying open for us."

"Yeah, yeah," the old man grumbled and followed them out into the quiet street, locking the door behind himself as the two red heads appeared away.

Hermione had a horrible night of sleep the night before they were to leave for Hogwarts. It was almost a tradition for her to have a rather sleepless night, with all the excitement of another school year. But she could honestly say that THIS insomnia had nothing to do with the new school year, but everything to do with some red headed boys.

Hermione had a wonderful evening with George after their talk. They ate a picnic of cheese and meats, fruits and veggies while they watched the stars dance across the sky. George had kissed her several more times, much to her delight. At around ten-thirty, Mrs. Weasley had sent Ginny and Harry to retrieve the pair, much to their dislike.

When they had returened back to the Burrow, Ginny had yanked Hermione up the stairs to their room to discuss everything. The pure elation and romance of the evening began to leave her, replaced quickly by the reality of what she had just done. She had quickly said she was sleepy and laid down to gather her thoughts.

Now, in the early morning light Hermione felt as if she could kick herself. She felt so guilty. _I can't believe I've kissed three of the Weasley boys in the last few weeks, _she thought as she got ready for the day. _I feel like a massive slut._

"Hermione, you are sighing every three seconds. What's wrong?" Ginny grumbled from her bed.

"I'm so sorry. Go back to sleep," Hermione said, swiping the tears away that she hadn't noticed before.

"Hermione,are you crying?" Ginny asked, quickly sitting up to look over at her friend.

"No," she lied, turning around so that the red head couldn't see her face.

"Yes you are," Ginny quickly got out of her bed and walked over to where Hermione stood with her face in her hands. "What's wrong? Why do you seem so upset?"

"Nothing, I'm just...its nothing," the brown haired girl insisted.

"Hermione, I know better then that. You were so happy last night when you came home with George. What's changed it?"

"Ginny, I'm a...I'm a slut!" Hermione sobbed into her hands.

"What? Why would you think you're a slut?" Ginny wondered, extremely confused.

"Ginny, I've kissed three of your brothers in thelast few weeks. Two of them just yesterday. You better not leave me in a room alone with Bill, Percy or Ron. They may be next," Hermione replied sarcastically.

Ginny laughed, despite the huge effort she was putting up not to. "Hermione, if you think that kissing three of my brothers makes you a slut, I would hate to know what you think of me and the things I've done."

"I didn' mean that.."

"I know. You are not any ones girlfriend right now, Hermione. You are trying to figure out who is the best choice for you to spend the rest of your life with. All you did was kiss them. Its not like you slept with all three of them," Ginny replied.

"I wouldn't ever do that," Hermione promised earnestly.

"I know that," the red head said, grinning. "I do know one thing, though."

"What's that?" Hermione asked, feeling better.

"I think you have a thing for red headed men," Ginny teased, earning a grin from her best friend.

"Yeah, I do, don't I?" she agreed, packing up some of her things.

"Have you talked to Malfoy lately?" Ginny wondered as she did some last minute packing as well.

"No. To be honest, I haven't even thought about him," Hermione admitted, feeling extremely guilty.

"Maybe that's a sign," the red head replied happily as she gathered the clothes she was going to wear for the day.

"A sign of what?"

"That you're destined to be a Weasley," Ginny said seriously as she walked out of the room to take a shower, leaving Hermione with a lot to think about.

"Does everyone have everything? Hermione do you have your owl and your cat?" Mrs. Weasley asked as they made their way through Kings Crossing toward platform 9 3/4.

The morning had gone rather well, until one of the twins misplaced experiments went off, turning Ginny's hair green. They had to quickly go to the joke shop to find the counter joke to fix it. They arrived at the train station with only five minutes to spare.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione replied from her place sandwiched between the twins. As quite as Fred had been toward her since the night he had kissed her, that's how talkative he was that morning. Hermione wasn't complaining though, she was just glad to have her friend back. That's how she found herself between them, George pushing her trolley for her.

"Alright, Ginny and Harry, you first," Mrs. Weasley instructed, watching as her daughter and Harry ran through.

"Ron, Luna," she continued, earning an eye roll from George.

"Mum, I believe we are more then capable of making our way through that gate," he insisted.

"Of course you are,dear," Mrs. Weasley replied. "I just like getting to tell you what to do one last time before you board the train."

Hermione laughed at the look on the twins face.

"We aren't going back to Hogwarts," Fred insisted.

"I love you Hermione, but we're not sitting through seventh year classes," George added.

"Of course you're not," Mrs. Weasley sighed. "I mean, I've always done that for the reason. Now, hurry up and get in there before Hermione misses that train."

"I wouldn't mind if that happened," George replied, winking down at her.

"But I would. And even if I did miss it, I could still apparate to Hogsmead and walk up to the castle. Actually, I bet Charlie would like to see me there early," Hermione said, grinning.

"Let's get you on that train," George insisted, taking off at a run towards the wall.

"I guess he's in a hurry to get rid of you,now," Fred teased as they followed after his twin.

"I guess so," Hermione laughed.

"Why don't I go put your trunk on the train so that you can say good bye to George?" Fred suggested.

"That's so sweet," Hermione replied.

"Thanks brother," George said, patting him on the shoulder. Fred nodded and walked towards the train, Hermione's trunk and cages in front of him.

"I'm going to miss you," George said, taking both of her hands in his.

"I'll miss you too," she admitted, putting her arms around him for a hug. He pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head gently.

"You can come for Hogsmead weekend," she suggested, trying to look on the bright side of things. Until that moment, she hadn't known how much she really cared for George.

"That's a great idea," he replied, grinning down at her.

"Hermione, the trains about to leave," Ginny called, just as the horn went off.

"See you soon," he promised, reluctantly letting her go. Hermione hugged and Fred and made it on the train just as it started rolling down the track. She made her way down the train, looking for the compartment that her stuff and her friends were in.

"Here we are, Mione," Harry called as she was about to miss the compartment.

"Oh, thanks Harry," she said, taking a seat next to Ginny.

"You're welcome," he replied, putting his arm around Ginny.

Hermione looked up about her head to make sure that Fred had put everything where it needed to go. She looked at the couples, Ron and Luna, Harry and Ginny and knew that it was going to be a long right with all of the whispers and hand holding. _I should get the book that Draco gave me, _she decided, standing to rummage through her trunk to find it.

"Hermione, you have something sticking out of your back pocket," Luna informed her dreamily.

"I didn't put anything back there," Hermione replied, confused as she pulled the book out of the trunk. She stepped down from the seat and felt in her back pocket for whatever was there.

"What was it?" Ginny wondered, leaning over to get a closer look.

"A piece of folded up parchment," Hermione replied, unfolding it.

"Maybe its a love letter from George," Ginny teased.

"Or maybe its from someone else entirely," Luna observed knowingly.

Hermione raised and eyebrow at her blond friend, but said nothing. She finished unfolding the parchment and began reading.

_Hi Hermione,_

_I hope that you are having a wonderful train ride...actually, I guess I should be saying I hope you find this note soon._

_I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry I've been such a git over the past few weeks. The kiss we shared surprised me and scared me. Especially since I knew that George was head over heels for you. Sometimes things happen for a reason and you just can't stop them._

_Please don't freak out. I know that you've already got three petitions that you are considering. I'm not going to petition you...yet. But I do want to be able to talk to you and see if it is possible that we could be compatible. So, what I'm asking is if I can owl you while you are at Hogwarts. We can keep it to ourselves or we can tell the world, whatever you want._

_I hope I haven't made you'relife more complacated. That truly was not my intention. I just feel like we both have the right to explore what ever this is we have and to see if it could go anywhere else. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Yours,_

_Fred._

Hermione read the note two more times, not looking up from the piece of parchment that she held in her hand.

Ginny and Luna had beenwatching their friend intently and exchanged a look when Hermione began reading it for the third time.

"Harry, I would like some candy," Ginny announced suddenly.

"I'm sure that the trolley will be along shortly. I'll buy you as much as you like then," he promised, kissing her cheek.

"Ron, did you know that chocolate does certain things to a women's body," Luna said,scooting closer to her fiancee'. "The norwaks that constantly surround the candy brings out a certain animalistic character in women that they can't control."

"You know, Luna, I think I read something about that somewhere," Ginny replied, grabbing a hold of Harry's hand. "Maybe that's why I'm craving chocolate."

"If you want chocolate,love, I'll go get you some right now," Harry decided suddenly, quickly standing to go to the door.

"I believe I'll come with you and help you buy some," Ron replied, running after his friend.

"Is that true about chocolate?" Ginny asked Luna, grinning.

"I'm sure it could be," the blond replied, looking over at Hermione, who still seemed to be in shock.

"Hermione, who was that from?" Ginny demanded,scooting closer to her friend.

"What did he say?" Luna asked, gently, sitting down on the other side of the brown haired girl.

"You know who it was from," Hermione said, looking over at her.

"I saw him put it in your back pocket," she replied, shrugging.

"Who was it?" Ginny wondered.

"Fred," Hermione said quietly.

"Oh, Merlin," Ginny exclaimed. "Doesn't he know how confused you are?"

Hermione took a deep breath and looked up for the first time since she opened the letter. "Actually, he does," she replied, smiling slightly.

"What?" the red head asked, confused.

"Really? What did he say?" Luna asked again, smiling. Hermione handed her two best girlfriends the letter to read. They quickly looked through it, knowing the boys would be back soon.

"Bloody hell," Ginny breathed, sounding so much like Ron that Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"So are you going to write to him?" Luna asked.

"I think so," Hermione confessed quietly, smiling nervously at the thought of writing him.

"I wouldn't keep it a secret," Ginny advised. "Secrets never end on a good note."

"Should I tell George or let Fred tell him?" Hermione asked.

Luna looked at Ginny and shrugged. "I don't know."

"You should let Fred handle George, but you should tell Charlie," Ginny advised.

"You're not upset about this, are you Ginny?" Hermione asked concerned.

"No! I want more then anything for you to be happy," the red head insisted, hugging Hermione tightly.

Harry and Ron opened the door to the compartment, their arms full of chocolates of every sort.

"We got you some candy," Harry announced happily, dumping the pile of sweets on one of the seats.

Luna and Ginny laughed and Hermone just shook her head.

"What?" the boys asked, causing all three ladies to laugh even harder.

**So what did you think? Did I update soon enough? I think once a week is enough. I want your opinion on things...tell me what you are thinking. I love reviews, they make me write more. :) Please review. Happy Reading. **


	13. Chapter 13

**I own nothing at all. I sure wish I did.**

Chapter 12

"Welcome to another year of school her at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Professor McGonagall greeted the students later that evening.

The rest of the train ride had been uneventful. They had talked about the various weddings that would be coming up. Ron and Luna wanted to get married on Halloween. Well, Luna did. Ron didn't care as long as she was his wife. That line had earned him a good snogging, leaving Harry, Ginny and Hermione trying to look anywhere but at the pair.

Harry and Ginny weren't sure exactly when they wanted to get married. Ginny wanted a winter wedding but Harry thought a nice outdoor spring wedding would be nice. They decided that they would continue to talk about it for a few weeks before making the final decision.

"I'm so glad to see all of you back for another wonderful year. I would like to welcome our new first year students. We hope that you fit in well with your new houses. They will be your family for the next seven years; your home away from home.

To our older students, welcome back. Last year was a very trying year for us all. But we've prevailed against the forces that tried to knock us down. we lost many and we miss them terribly. But we are strong and we are persistent. And we will move on."

Applause erupted through out the Great Hall, from all four houses. Someone at the Slytherin table stood and the other three tables quickly followed.

"Who would have thought a Slytherin had a heart," Ron said as they took their seats.

"I would," Hermione replied, sneaking a peek at the blonde haired Slytherin who had stood first

"We have some new things that are happening this year at Hogwarts. First of all, there will be many seventh years who will be getting married this year, because of the new marriage law. There will be suites available for those couples. For those of you who have not chosen a partner yet, there will be classes that will be mandatory for you as well as for our married couples. The Ministry wants to make this as easy for you as possible. Also, on a lighter note, the Ministry has decided there will be three balls this year: One at Halloween, one at Christmas and the last one on Valentine's Day. This way you can mingle amongst yourselves and get to know people. The ball's themes will be decided by our prefects. The meeting times will be posted tomorrow. Now, why don't we tuck in and eat?" she suggested, as the food appeared on all of the tables.

"Three balls?" Ginny exclaimed excitedly as they filled their plates.

"Is that all you got out of that speech?" Hermione teased.

"No, I get to sleep with Harry here in the castle as soon as we get married," she replied, smiling mischievously.

"Bloody hell Ginny! Could you not talk about that while I'm trying to eat?" Ron complained as he stuffed food in his mouth.

"You're not having any problem eating. We had to watch Luna snog your head off in the train and none of us said a word!" his sister retorted, causing Ron to turn red at the thought of that kiss.  
"I wonder if McGonagall will let people who are in different houses who are married sit with one another at meals," Hermione mused, taking a small bite of chicken.

"I don't know, but I miss Luna like crazy," Ron said, looking over at the Ravenclaw table.

"Now who's going to make us sick?" Harry teased his best friend.

"Shut it!" Ron said, grinning good-naturedly.

Hermione smiled as they feel into a comfortable silence. She knew things were going to be like this all year long. Her friends had all found love and were extremely happy about it. She would just have to focus on her school work and finding her own love.

"'Mione!" Ginny hissed at her from across the table.

"What?" she asked, confused as to what she did. The red head pointed her finger behind Hermione.

"May I sit here?" A deep, smooth voice asked.

Hermione turned to see none other then the Prince of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy.

"You really want to sit at the Gryffindor table?" she asked, teasingly.

"If it means I can sit and talk with you, then yes," he replied, actually smiling.  
Hermione blushed furiously, "Sure you can sit."

The blonde sat between Hermione and Ron, much to the redhead's horror. A plate appeared in front of him, but he pushed it away.

"I've already eaten," he said in way of explanation.

"Oh," she replied stupidly. There you go again with that nonsense, she thought to herself.

"So did you like the book I sent you?" Draco asked, smiling.

"Oh, I loved it! It was beautifully written and the plot was something I would have never thought to write," Hermione gushed.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied happily.

"Did you get my thank you letter?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. How was the last few days of your summer break?"

Hermione looked across at Ginny, who smirked back at her."Well, it was eventful," she replied reluctantly.

"Oh, how so?" Draco wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I went on a Scavenger Hunt," Hermione said.

"Really? Was it a game you were playing? Or a family thing?"

"No. I...it was...well at the end of the hunt, someone was waiting with a petition," she stammerd, feeling extremely guilty. He was the first on I promised to consider, she thought to herself.

"Oh," he sat quietly for a moment. Then he turned and smiled at Hermione. "Well, did you accept it?"

"No, but I told him basically the same thing as I did you," she informed the blonde.

"Well, at least I know I still have a chance," Draco replied.

Hermione nodded, deciding not to speak for the moment. The feelings that she had for Draco were quite different from the ones she had for the Weasley men.

"I had better go back to my own table before McGonagall dismisses us so that I can help with the first years. See you later!" He said standing and walking back to his own table.

"That was awkward," Ginny replied, taking a drink of her pumpkin juice.

Hermione nodded in agreement, putting her head in her hands.

"Now that our stomachs are full and our eyes are heavy, it's time to go to our dormitories. If you are officially engaged to a person in another house, you have thirty minutes to say good night. If a professor finds you after that fifty points will be taken from each house. Prefects, please make sure that your first years make it safely to your houses. Good night," Professor McGonagall announced.

"I'll see you later," Ron said hurriedly as he stood and ran towards the Ravenclaw table.

"I guess he wants to make the most of their thirty minutes," Harry replied, smirking.

"Yes, but doesn't he remember the he is a prefect? I could use his help," Hermione replied as she walked towards some of the Gryffindor first years.

"First years, please come over here," she called in her best impression of Professor McGonagall. The small group made their way over to where she stood. "All right, please follow me. The stairs move so it's easy to get lost. You don't want to become lost in your first night at Hogwarts, do you?" she asked, turning to see all of her first years closely behind her, all shaking their heads.

"Good," Hermione said, smirking as she gave them a brief tour on their way to the Gryffindor tower. When they made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady, she turned to her charges.  
"This is the entrance into your new home. To be able to get in there, you must have the password. You do not give it to anyone in any of the other houses no matter what. Do you understand? Good. Our new password is Dumbledore." The portrait swung open for the group, causing a few of the first years to gasp.

"The boy's dorms are that way, the girl's are that way. You should probably go on up and get settled in. Classes start early in the morning. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Good night," she finishing smiling at the overwhelmed group of kids. After they left the common room, she looked around, noticing not very many people had returned to the tower yet.  
_Might as well go upstairs and write Fred_, she thought to herself. She walked up the familiar staircase that lead to the room that had been hers for the previous six years. When she opened the door, she saw that all of her things had been placed at the end of her bed.

"I bet you want out of that cage, don't you, Austen?" Hermione cooed at her bird, who hooted happily. "I'll let you out, but don't go too far, please. I need to send a letter off tonight," she told her bird as she opened the cage. He hooted and flew out the opened window.

Hermione changed out of her robes and into a pair of pyjama pants and tank top, deciding to get comfortable before she sat down to write the letter.

_Dear Fred,  
I was extremely surprised to find your letter in my back pocket. How did you get it there anyway? I don't know how in the world you put it there without me knowing.  
I think we should write back and forth. I'm not going to make any promises, but I've though about the brief kiss we shared several times since that night. That has to mean something, right?  
I'm not sure how much you want for him to know, but I do think that one of us should tell George. Ginny told me to make you tell him, but I'll leave that up to you. I just do not want any secrets. They hardly ever lead to anything good.  
I look forward to receiving letters from you. I've missed talking with you the last few weeks._  
The young witch read the letter over, making sure it sounded all right. She wasn?t sure as to how she should end the letter. She thought 'love' was inappropriate and 'sincerely' seemed too formal._ My name should be fine_, she assured herself as she folded the parchment and placed it into the envelope.

Hermione

"Austen," she called to her bird, knowing he wasn't far away. The bird quickly flew to where she sat, legs crossed in the middle of her bed and sat patiently on her knee. "Would you please take this to Fred?" Hermione asked.

The bird nipped her finger goodbye before flying happily back out of the window.

"Knock, knock," a voice said from the door, followed by a certain red-haired girl.

"I figured you would be snuggled up to Harry by the fire right about now," Hermione teased the girl who sat down on her bed.

"I would be if I wasn't having to deliver a letter like I'm an owl," Ginny replied, handing Hermione as envelope.

"Who is it from?" she asked, taking it out of Ginny's hand.

"Read it and find out," the red head said, grinning widely. "I'm going to go sit with Harry. Have a good night," Ginny waved at her friend as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Staring at the envelope curiously, she quickly opened it.  
_  
Will you please look out your window?_

Hermione turned the small piece of parchment over, wondering if there was anything else. Cautiously, she walked to the opened window.

"Hi," a voice said from below, startling her.

"Merlin, Charlie, you scared me to death," Hermione exclaimed, holding her chest. "What are you doing?"

Charlie grinned and flew closer to the opened window. "I didn't get to see you any this evening. Would you let me take you for a midnight ride?"

"Its not midnight," she teased. "And I don't really like brooms."

"Please?" the former dragon handler begged.

"What if I get caught out after Professor McGonagall's curfew?" Hermione wondered, trying to come up with every excuse possible not to get on that broom. Not that she didn't want to talk with Charlie, she just really hated brooms

The red head grinned and pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and handled it to her.

_Ms. Granger,  
You have my permission to leave your dormitory with Mr. Weasley until midnight.  
Professor McGonagall_

"You thought of everything," she replied, turning slightly green.

"I did," he replied, flying extremely close to the window. He noticed how pale Hermione had turned and smiled gently at her. "I promise I'll protect you," he assured her, holding a hand out for her to accept.

She looked at the smiling, gorgeous man for a moment and sighed. What the hell, she thought as she grabbed a jacket. If I die, at least I'll be with a gorgeous man.

"You sure you won't let me fall?" she asked, taking his hand.

"I promise," Charlie grinned and pulled her onto the back of his broom, where she quickly grabbed a hold of his waist. "You know love, I do need to breathe," he teased as he flew quickly away from Gryffindor tower.

"You can breathe when we land," she retorted, grinning widely, causing him to laugh loudly. Hermione could feel his heart beat through his shirt and could smell his outdoors smell. It was all rather intoxicating.

"We aren't going far," he said as he started descending.

"Where are we?" she asked, curious as to what he was up to.

"We are on a hill," he said as he landed on top of a beautiful green hill, that over looked a lake.

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "This is beautiful," Hermione said, looking out over the lake. In the distance she could make out hundreds of tiny lights, causing her to gasp. "Is that Hogwarts?" she asked.

"It is. It's just on the other side of the lake," he replied, coming behind her and putting his arms around her. She leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth that was radiating off of him.

"How did you find this place?" Hermione wondered.

"Well, how do I begin?" he pondered.

"The beginning is usually a rather good place," she teased him, causing him to grin. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to sit with him.

"You've heard of my mothers twin brothers, right? Well, Fabian was always looking for ways to make money and he figured that land was a good way. Well,before he could do anything with this particular piece of land, they were killed. "

"So, this is your Uncle Fabian's land?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, it's mine," he said slowly, watching her reaction.

"What do you mean, yours?" she asked.

"When they died they found out that he had left this land to her. Mum has decided, with all of this Marriage Law stuff to give all of us one thing to help with our new family. She gave Ron a ring and Percy allowed her to give him our grandmother's china. He wouldn't take anything else, that stupid git," he mumbled, remembering how hurt she looked when he had refused anything else. Molly and Arthur had gathered the boys up and had a talk with them a few days after the law had arrived.

"So she gave you this land?" Hermione asked, shocked. She knew that the Weasley's had always had just enough. If they had sold the land, along with the jewellery, they would have been just fine. _But they chose to save it to help their kids get started_, she thought, in total awe of these people who had become her family.

"She did," he replied, holding Hermione's hand. "Mum wants me to have a place where I can build a home for my family."

Hermione looked over at Charlie, feeling extremely scared. Not the kind of fear she felt while looking for the Horcrux, but another one entirely.

"Why did you bring me here?"she whispered.

Charlie moved so that he was in front of Hermione.

"Because I wanted to share this beautiful place with you. I wanted you to see that I have a place where I can build a home that we can grow with, a place with a big kitchen, rooms for the kids and maybe a library," he added, making Hermione smile slightly. "I want you to help me plan this. I want you to help me decide it all. Hermione Jean Granger, I want you to be my family."

Hermione felt tears escaping from her eyes. "Charlie, I can't..."

"I know you can't promise me anything tonight or ever in the next week. I just wanted you to know that I'm still here, waiting," Charlie replied, kissing her gently.

**So what did you think? Sorry that I didn't upload this yesterday, as I promised, but I have the flu and left my computer over at my parents house. Got it today when I got out to go to the doctor. I hate being sick. Anywho, please tell me how you liked it, because if you don't I don't know if I'm still writing what you want me to write. Oh and just so you know, I now have an AMAZING beta. Thank you Ms. Tannya! :) Happy Reading. **


	14. Chapter 14

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 13

"Good morning Hermione," Ginny greeted her friend as she walked into the Great hall and sat down beside her.

"Morning," she replied as she turned the page to the book she was  
reading.

"How was your evening last night?" the red head asked, grinning slyly.

"Interestingly amazing and ultimately confusing," Hermione admitted, sighing as she shut the book. She was only reading the same paragraph over and over again anyway.

"Really? What happened?"

"Charlie took me to the land your mum gave him. He told me that he wanted me to help  
him plan the house, what's in it and all. Then he told me he wants me to be his  
family," Hermione said quietly.

Ginny's mouth gaped open. "Wow. What did you say?"

"What could I say? It was so sweet and so terrifying, but the more this all goes on,  
the more likely someone is going to get hurt. I really hate the Ministry right now!" the young witch exclaimed angrily, throwing her napkin down across the table.

"What did that napkin do to you?" Harry teased as he and Ron sat down at the table.

"Shut it, Harry," Hermione snapped, immediately regretting it. "Sorry Harry. That was  
uncalled for."

"It's all right. What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Just this whole Ministry Marriage Law is getting to me," she replied, sighing.

"Why is it gwiting tw ou?" Ron asked through food inside his mouth.

"It's sad that I understood that," Hermione said, grinning slightly.

"I'm glad you did but I sure didn't," Harry laughed, placing a biscuit on his plate.

Ron swallowed. "I said, why is it getting to you," he replied, his mouth empty for a moment.

"It just is," Hermione answered, not really wanting to get into it with the boys.

Thankfully, the morning post interrupted further conversation on the matter. A beautiful black owl came and perched itself in front of Hermione, with a rolled up piece of parchment tied to its claw.

"Isn't that Fred's owl?" Ron asked, looking confused at the bird.

"Yeah, I think it is," Harry agreed, placing the biscuit he had been eating back on  
the plate and shoving the whole thing away.

"Why would he be sending you a letter?" Ron wondered, still confused.

"I don't think its any of your business," Ginny replied, glaring at her brother and her fiancée.

Hermione gave the owl a bite of bread before sending it on its way. "I think I'll just go to the library," she decided, gathering her things and quickly walking toward that doors of the Great Hall.

"Miss. Granger," Professor McGonagall called to her before she could escape. Hermione  
turned around and placed a smile on her face.

"Miss. Granger, here is your schedule of classes. Also, this evening I need you to come  
to my office for a meeting about all of the balls. I know you don't have the official title of Head Girl, but I think of you as such. Do you think you can handle it?"

Hermione took in a deep breath and smiled as she took the schedule from the professor. "Of course. I'll do my best," she replied.

"As you always do," Professor McGonagall smiled slightly. "You will have help, so you won't be entirely overwhelmed. have a good first day of classes."

"You too, Professor," she replied, walking toward the library to read her letter in  
peace. She walked to the table in the back of the room where she usually did most of  
her school work. Taking her favourite seat at the table, she pulled out the rolled up  
parchment and opened it.

_Dear Hermione,  
You have no idea how excited I was when I got your letter last night. I'm so glad  
that you want to write back and forth and see where this goes._

_I will be telling George that I'm writing you today. Not sure how he will react, but I will let you know._

_How is everything at Hogwarts? Are you glad to be back or do you wish you were done?  
Well, I'll cut this short, because I want to get this out before George wakes up. I can't wait to hear all about your day._

_Yours,  
Fred._

Hermione smiled and pulled out the pack of parchment she had in her bag, along with her favourite quill and ink...

_Dear Fred,_

_Its weird being back here after being away for a year. I was able to do what I wanted, whenever I liked without having to ask anyone's permission. Now, I've gone back to having to be the perfect student once again. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. (I really hope you don't think I'm complaining. I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful for being back, its just going to be different)._

_Good luck talking with George. If you need me to talk with him just let me know. I'll talk to Charlie today and let him know. _

_Well, I better go or I'll be late for my first class, which would not be good._

_Always,  
Hermione.  
_  
She rolled up the piece of parchment and put it in her bag to take it to Austen after classes. Hermione looked at her watch and sighed. It was time for her first class of the day. She just hoped that Ron and Harry wouldn't be asking her questions about Fred's letter. She quickly gathered her things, placed them in her bag, and ran towards Transfiguration.

Fred had been up most of the night re-reading the letter that Hermione had sent to him. He was insanely happy that she wasn't opposed to sending letters back and forth.

But he was so nervous about talking to George about it. This was the first secret he  
hadn't told his twin and he didn't know how George would react.

"Fred, why are you wearing a hole into the floor?' his twin asked as he walked into the back room of their shop.

Fred stopped pacing and sighed. "I need to tell you something and I'm nervous about your reaction," he blurted out.

George raised an eyebrow and took a seat at one of the stools they kept at their work bench. "What did you break? Or what did you purchase with out telling me?" he asked, assuming that it had something to do with the business.

"Actually, it has nothing to do with the shop," Fred admitted.

"Oh. Well, you know you can tell me anything, though it doesn't mean I won't give you a hard time about it," George teased good naturedly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Fred mumbled, taking the other stool across from his brother. He took a deep, cleansing breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm his nerves.

"Merlin Fred, what's got your knickers in a twist?" George asked. Then he gaped, his eyes bulging out. "Bloody hell! Are you gay? I mean, its all right with me if you are. More power to you. Who is he? Is it Oliver Wood? Always thought there was something  
different about that one..."

"Would you shut it? No, I'm not gay, but its good to know that you would accept me if I were so inclined."

"Then what is it?" George asked, completely confused.

"I'm writing letters to Hermione," Fred blurted out.

"Okay. And why would that make me upset? You are friends, there is nothing wrong with that."

Fred sighed once again and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm writing to her because I miss her terribly. I miss the way she smiles and tells us we are going to blow ourselves up if we aren't careful."

"I do too," George agreed, smiling. Then, as if he realized what Fred had just said, he turned to his brother and raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me that you petitioned her?"

"No, I haven't petitioned her..."

"Oh, thank Merlin," George sighed, interrupting Fred. "You scared me there for a moment."

"George, I haven't petitioned her because we've decided to write to each other, to see if there's anything there," Fred informed his twin.

"Why would you need to see if there's anything there? What would give you the idea that something COULD be there?" George demanded, not believing what he was hearing.

"Well, I kind of kissed her..."

"You WHAT?" George practically roared, standing with such force that it knocked the stool over.

"It was before you petitioned her!" Fred said in his defence.

"Oh, so that's suppose to make it better," his twin replied sarcastically, throwing his arms in the air.

"What's going to happen? Are you going to petition anyone?"

"I'm not sure what's going to happen. I do have a few girls that I'll be sending petitions to around Halloween, depending on what happens," Fred answered, watching his twin closely.

George sighed and ran his hand through his hair, in the exact same way that his twin had not long before. "Does she have feelings for you?"

"I don't know, George. She's so confused right now. That's one of the reasons I haven't petitioned her. All she wants is to find love and she is doing the best she can trying to find it."

George's face softened. "Hermione Granger is confused? What can we do to help her?"

"Take things slow, I would guess. Or just be there for her when she needs you. Let her make the decisions. She's being pulled in several directions, only one of which is not a Weasley," Fred answered.

George chuckled and picked the stool back up off the floor. "And we Weasley's are hard to resist. No wonder she's so confused. She has too much of a good thing to pick from."

"Damn right," Fred grinned, happy to see a smile on his brothers face, even if it was a small one.

"Look, I'm not saying that I'm completely okay with this, but if you like her and she likes you, I'll try to deal with it. Doesn't mean that I'm not going to be pissed for a while, but I will get over it."

"I can understand that," Fred replied.

"Well, I suppose we should get to work," George suggested, looking at the stack of  
boxes that needed to be unpacked and shelved.

"Sounds good," Fred said grinning, happy that the talk was over and done  
with.  
"Oh and Fred?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not going to give up on her," George informed his brother as he picked up a few boxes and carried them into the front of the shop.

Fred's grin widened. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Bloody hell! I thought that finding all of the Horcruxes was difficult, but that was a cake walk compared to those classes," Ron complained as they walked out of their last class of the day.

"Ron, they weren't that bad," Hermione replied, grinning at her friends observation of the day.

"Hermione, not all of us are as smart as you are," Harry said, taking Ron's side.

"You would be if you didn't put off studying until the last possible moment," she retorted, causing Ginny to laugh.

"You know, she does have a point," the red head girl teased her fiancée.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. But then there would be no reason for us to bug Hermione to help  
us," Harry said, causing the brown haired girl to grin.

"I'm sure you would find something to bug me about," she replied. "I'm suppose to go to Professor McGonagall's office. I'll see you at dinner."

"Have fun," Ginny called.

Hermione got to the professor's office quickly and told the statue the password. When  
she got to the top of the stairs, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," the familiar voice of the professor called out.

Hermione opened the door and walked into the familiar office, surprised that the professor was not alone.  
"Ms. Granger, thank you for coming. Please take a seat next to ." Draco smiled up at Hermione as she sat in the seat that had been pushed closer then normal to her.

"Of course," Hermione replied, returning the smile.

"As I told you both this morning, there is much that needs to be done in way of preparations for the balls that are coming up. I need you two to over see the many committees that will be needed in order to make them all go off without any issues. You will be working closely together, so I need you two to please put away any issues that you two may have with one another."

Draco smiled at Hermione once more before turning back to the professor. "Actually, I've petitioned Hermione and she's said that she will consider it,"Draco informed her. "So we've been rather civil toward one another as of late."

"You petitioned Ms. Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked, in complete shock.

"Yes I did," the young Malfoy replied.

"But why?" she blurted. "My apologies. I just don't understand why you would want to marry someone that you've despised for seven years."

Draco nodded and looked the professor right in the eyes. "Many people have asked that same question, Professor. A lot of people think that I have some diabolical motive behind petitioning Hermione. I can assure you I do not. I've had a...crush on her since she punched me back in third year, as masochistic as that sounds," he said, smiling at the memory. "Of course I couldn't say anything. If my father would have found out about  
my feelings for her..."Draco shuddered at the thought.

He turned and looked at Hermione, who had been looking at her hands until she felt his eyes on her. His eyes were the most sincere thing that she had ever seen. "When I had to stand there and watch my Aunt Bellatrix torture you, it was as if I had been put into my own personal form of hell. I knew that if I did anything to stop her that we would both be dead before anyone could save you. And as we all know, Harry can get himself out of just about any situation," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. Hermione grinned; she had said something similar right after the war was over.

"When the marriage law passed, Hermione was the first name that popped in my head. It was if Merlin himself had given me this golden opportunity for a chance with my dream girl. Professor McGonagall, that is why I petitioned her."

The older witch sat in her seat, completely flabbergasted by what she had just heard. The Prince of Slytherin had been holding his feelings in for the female member of 'The Golden Trio'? It was all a lot to take in.

"Well, that's...interesting. Ms. Granger, what made you decide to give him a chance?"

Hermione blushed and avoided everyone's eyes. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

The professor looked at her favourite student, knowing that there was some thing else, but didn't want to press her, especially with Malfoy in the room.

"That's very kind and grown up of you, Ms. Granger," she said instead. "So, I guess  
that means there should be no issues with you two working close together then."

"No," Hermione confirmed.

"Not at all," Draco smiled over at the object of his affection.

"Very well then. You may go on about your evening. Once a week I would like a progress report on the work you've done."

"Yes, Professor," the students replied as they stood to exit the office.

"Have a good evening," the Professor called after the two as they walked  
out of the office.

"How did the meeting with Professor McGonagall go?" Ginny asked that evening at dinner.

"It went all right," Hermione replied.

"What was it about?" Harry wondered, passing Ginny the bowl of mashed potatoes.

"About the balls. She wants us to head up all of the committees that will be needed for all of them," she answered, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill. If she was going to be organizing three balls on top of all of her classes, plus everything else she was having to deal with this year, she was going to have to work while she ate.

"Us?" Ginny said, raising an eyebrow.

"Draco and I. She said that if there would have been a Head Boy and Head Girl, then it would have been us."

"Malfoy? Head Boy?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Apparently he has the second highest grades in our year," Hermione replied, taking  
a bite of roll.

"And we all know who has the highest," Ginny grinned at her best friend who smiled back.

"Not if I don't figure out how I'm going to juggle everything this year. I'll have worse grades then Ron if I don't," she said, looking over to the red heads normal seat and finding it empty. "Where is he, anyway?"

Harry grinned."He paid the house elves a knut each to fix a picnic basket to take down to the lake for him and Luna."

"Seriously?" Ginny gasped, shocked that her git of a brother could be so romantic.

"That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard of him doing," the brown haired girl replied, slightly jealous. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help not wanting the same thing._ Although I guess it's me who is to blame for not having that_, she thought. _If I would hurry up and pick one of them, maybe he would just randomly surprise me with a picnic just because. _

"Hermione, you're sighing again," Ginny informed her,looking at her with concern."What's wrong?"

Hermione began gathering her things, not very hungry any more. "I've just got a lot of work I need to do. I'm going to go try to find somewhere that's a little quieter then the Great Hall."

"Are we being too loud for you?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at his best girl friend.

"No, not you. Everyone else. I'll see you guys later," she promised as she walked out of the Great Hall towards the library.

"Do you buy that?" Harry asked his fiancée as they watched their friend walk out the door.

"Not a bit," she replied, biting into her chicken.

"What do you think is bothering her?" he wondered.

"What's one thing that you know to be true about Hermione?" she asked.

"She loves to read?" Harry asked.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, love. But what else? Does she like not knowing things?"

"No, she hates not knowing things. If she doesn't know about it, then she looks it up and finds out about it," he answered. "But what doesn't she know?"

"She doesn't know who she want to be with; who she wants to love. So, she's going to try to figure it out."

"How can we help her?" Harry demanded, wanting to do whatever he could for the girl who had helped him figure out the Horcruxes.

"Calm down," she replied, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We just have to help her see whose best for her."

"Hows that?"

Ginny grinned a grin that could rival any evil genius. "By weeding out the great from the exceptional."

**Here's another chapter. I hope you like it. I know some of you have an opinion of who she should end up with. Well, let me know and I'll make this be a story that you decide who her love will be. :) The one with the most 'votes' will be her man. :) So...let me know. Happy Reading**


	15. Chapter 15

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 14

As Hermione took her favourite seat at the table in the library, she decided that she needed to make a list. A pro's and con's list for each of the four guys she found herself trying to consider. But who do I start with, she asked herself, as she pulled out a notebook of parchment and her favourite quill and ink. I guess let's start at the beginning she decided, writing Draco Malfoy at the top of the first piece of parchment. Underneath she made two columns, one labelled pro and the other labelled con.

"Is that really how you are going to try to make the most important decision of your life?" a voice she recognized well asked.

Hermione looked up at the red head girl and the black haired boy that stood in front of her. "What are you doing in here?"

"We came to help you," Harry replied, taking one of the seats across from her, as Ginny did the same.

"And what exactly do you think you are going to be helping me with?"Hermione asked, pulling her quill down, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest.

"We are going to help you decide who's the best chose for you, Hermione," Ginny announced, grinning widely.

"What?" the brown haired witch exclaimed completely confused as to what Ginny had just said.

"She said that we are going to help you decide who is right for you,"Harry repeated slowly as if she were a small child.

"I heard her, I just don't know how you could help,"she replied,putting her head down on the table. All of a sudden she had a massive headache.

"Hermione, you are putting too much pressure on yourself," Ginny replied, reaching across the table and patting the girls arm.

"You are trying to figure all of this out on your own, when you don't have to. You were there for me several times when no one else was," Harry added.

Hermione looked up, smiling slightly at two of her favourite people. "I appreciate what you are trying to do, but you can't make this decision for me. I'm having a hard enough time trying to make it myself," she admitted.

"That's why you need us. You need someone who will listen to everything you are thinking and feeling; to help you sort everything out," Ginny replied.

"Help you weed the great from the exceptional," Harry added, earning a glare from his fiance' for stealing the line she had previously used.

"Did you steal that line from Ginny?" Hermione asked amused, taking in Ginny's annoyed expression.

"I could have come up with it," Harry replied defensively, causing both girls to laugh.

"Of course you could, love," Ginny assured her fiance' patting his back to her best friend, she sighed. "Hermione, please. Let us help you. We can't make the decision, you're right about that, but we can help you by being your sounding board; by being the people you bounce your thoughts off of." Hermione looked over at her friends, knowing that they really did want to help her. She knew they would listen to everything she said and give their opinions when she asked for it. There was just one thing she was worried about.

"Ginny, three of the four guys happen to be your brother," she started, but was cut off.

"Hermione, I don't care who you chose. Yes, they are my brothers, but they all knew what they were doing when they decided to pursue you," the red head assured her friend.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

"One hundred percent positive."

"You're going to let us help you, right?" Harry asked, grinning as he watched his best girl friend struggle to find a reason not to let them help.

"Yes, you may," she sighed, causing Ginny to squeal in excitement.

"Shh! Madam Pince is going to throw us out if you can't control your volume," Hermione whispered, smiling at her.

"Sorry. So, how can we help you?" Ginny asked, eager to get started.

"I was about to make a pros and cons list. I suppose you could help me with that," Hermione said, showing them the piece of parchment that held Draco's name at the top.

"Do you really think that making a pros and cons list is the best way to try and figure out who you want to be with? I mean, don't you think it would be smarter to spend time with each of these guys in normal everyday situations and see how they handle themselves? To see if you could live with them for the rest of your life?" Harry asked.

Hermione and Ginny looked at Harry in shock, astonished at what he had just suggested.

"What?" he asked defensively, wondering why both of the ladies were still staring at him.

"Since when did you become so smart?" Hermione asked.

"I think that is the best idea I've ever heard you have. Besides choosing to ask me to marry you, of course," Ginny said, kissing Harry on the cheek.

"I just think its crazy to make such an important decision on a piece of paper," Harry replied.

"I agree," Hermione decided, taking that piece of parchment out of her notebook and balling it up.

"So, who are you going to see first?" Ginny asked.

"I need to tell Charlie about Fred. I suppose I'll walk down and have a talk with him before curfew," the brown haired girl stood from her seat.

"We'll see you back in the common room," Ginny replied, waving as Hermione walked out of the library.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"'Ermione! It's good to see you," Hagrid exclaimed as he gathered her up in a tight bear hug.

"Hi Hagrid," she laughed as the big man put her back on the ground. "How was your first day of class?"

"Good, good. This ye'rs first ye'rs are a rowdy bunch, eager to learn," he replied, grinning down at her. "Would you like some tea and cookies?"

"Oh no thank you. I was actually looking for Charlie. I thought he was staying here in your hut with you," she answered looking around the room, not seeing Charlie or any of his belongings.

"Charlie, huh," Hagrid said, grinning knowingly at the young witch that stood before him."He is staying 'ere, but I figure a young man like that deserved an area of his own. I helped him enlarge the back of me hut, so he could have some privacy."

"That was awfully sweet of you,Hagrid," Hermione replied.

"Only doin' what I would want someone else to do fer me," he replied, slightly embarrassed from the praise Hermione gave him."You can go around to the back of the hut and there is a door that leads to his place."

"Thank you," she hugged him tightly."I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"Have a good night," he called after her, smiling.

She walked quickly around that hut, pulling her cloak tightly around herself, blocking the cool evening air. The stars were beginning to come out, lighting up the early evening sky. Hermione knocked lightly on the door, in a hurry to get into the hut where there would surely be a warm fire.

"Hermione! What are you doing here?" Charlie grinned, pleasantly surprised to see her.

"I came to see you," she laughed as he picked her up into a hug similar to the way Hagrid had a few moments before.

"I'm glad that you did. Come in here out of the night air," he said, ushering her into the small room. Hermione looked around the cosy area that was Charlie's place. There was a small fire place in the corner, next to a tiny stove, where Charlie was putting a kettle of water on for tea. There was also a small couch and a book shelf in another corner opposite the small table and two chairs. In the last corner was a door that Hermione assumed lead to where his bed and bathroom were.

"This is very cosy," she replied, taking a seat at the table.

"Thanks. It's not a lot, but it will do until I get the house built," he said joining her at the table."How was your first day of classes?"

"It was all right. It's really weird to be back after being gone for a year," she admitted to him.

"I can relate. It's been a few years since I had classes here," he said. "How was everything else?"

"It was pretty busy. Professor McGonagall asked us to head up everything for the balls this year."

"You and Ginny? I don't know of two better people to do so. You are so organized and on task, while Ginny is all about parties and such,"Charlie replied as he got up to fix the tea.

"Actually, it's not Ginny. She asked Draco to help me out," Hermione responded.

"Draco Malfoy? Why?" he asked, bringing over the tea.

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip. "She said it was because he would have been Head Boy this year, if she hadn't done away with it for this year."

"Does she know he petitioned you?" Charlie wondered.

"She does now. It shocked her when she found out that he did and that I'm actually considering it," Hermione replied.

"I was actually a little surprised at the same thing when you did it,"Charlie admitted.

"Most people were. I just thought that everyone deserved a second chance. He was the only one at the time who had petitioned me and I didn't want the Ministry to have the total say so of who I ended up with," Hermione explained.

Charlie nodded as he took a sip of his tea."I can understand that."

Hermione smiled, happy that she wouldn't have to explain herself over and over again to him on the subject of Draco Malfoy."While you are in such an understanding mood, there's something that you need to know."

Charlie put down his cup and sighed."There's always something with you, isn't there, Ms. Granger?" he teased, grinning.

"Lately, it seems so. I thought when the war ended life would get it just seems more complicated," she replied.

"What is it that you need to tell me?" He asked.

"Well, I don't have another petition. But I am writing letters back and forth with Fred, to see if there might be anything there between us,"she informed him, carefully watching his reaction. To her utmost surprise, he started laughing.

"I knew he would figure it out,"was Charlie's reply.

"Fred would figure what out?" Hermione wondered.

"I knew how he felt about you weeks ago, but he wouldn't act on it because of George. I told him that all was fair in love and war, and that if there was even a small chance that you felt the same way about him, that he should go for it."

"Where did you hear that phrase before?" the young witch asked, surprised that Charlie used a muggle saying.

"My mum told me after the law was passed," he answered, smiling at the shocked look that was on Hermione's face.

"Your Mum? I was sure that she was livid with me that you three are all petitioning me," Hermione admitted.

"My mum, mad at you?" he asked, surprised. "She could never be upset with you. You're her favourite alongside Ginny."

"You know your mum doesn't have favourites," she replied, smiling.

"I wouldn't bet on that," he teased, standing to put their cups in the sink. "I had better walk you back to the castle before you miss curfew."Charlie offered her his hand, which she gladly excepted and walked with him back towards that castle.

"So when do you meet Malfoy to begin planning that balls?" he wondered, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"We are going to be meeting tomorrow after classes," she answered as they walked up the stairs to Gryffindor tower.

"Well, I hope you have fun planning," Charlie offered, stopping in front of the fat lady.

"Thank you for the tea," she said, smiling.

"Thank you for coming to see me."

"Good night, Charlie," Hermione stood on her tip toes and kissed him gently on the cheek before disappearing behind that portrait.

"Good night, Hermione," Charlie said, before turning and making his way to the Headmistress' office to have a quick conversation with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As Hermione started getting her night clothes on later that night, a pecking noise startled her out of her thoughts. She quickly walked over to the window and opened it, letting the familiar bird in. Before untying the piece of parchment, she gave the owl a treat. "Thank you," she told the bird before it flew away. Grinning, she ran over to her bed and snuggled in, eager to read the letter she had been waiting for all day.

_Dear Hermione, _

_Things were better then expected with George. He's not happy by any means but I think he understands. Now that that drama is over we can start getting to know each other better through these letters. We know a lot about each other already, but I'm sure there are small things we can learn. I suggest that we ask questions at random and we have to answer,no matter what. What do you think? Let me know. _

_Sweet dreams to you, my dearest Hermione. _

_Love,_

_Fred _

Hermione grinned at the thought of exchanging questions with Fred Weasley. That could be interesting, she thought as she reached into the drawer in her night stand and pulled out parchment, ink and quill.

_Dear Fred, _

_I'm glad that things went well with George. I'm worried that he'll be upset with me. I guess I'll have to wait and see. I told Charlie this evening and he actually laughed. He said something about how he knew you would figure it out. Were you talking about me behind my back, Mr. Weasley? _

_About the whole 'questions' things, it sounds very much like a muggle game called '20 questions'. I like the idea. Who gets to ask the first question? _

_Always, _

_Hermione_

**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. Sorry about being a little late on the update. Last week was...well it was horrible, but its a new week, so lets not focus on the past. :) Tell me what you think of this chapter. I want to thank my Beta, Tannya who got this back to me in less then a few hours. :) You rock. Please review...it helps on those horrible days. :) Happy Reading**_  
_


	16. Chapter 16

**I own nothing. Thank you to Tanyaa who is an amazing Beta! :) **

Chapter 15

As George walked down the stairs to get a glass of water before turning in for the night, he saw his twin sitting at the kitchen table with a big grin plastered across his face. His owl was sitting on the table, eating a bowl of owl food, while Fred read a piece of parchment.

"What's that?" George asked, startling his brother.

"Bloody hell, George. When did you get so quiet?" Fred wondered.

"Quiet? Fred, every single step creeks, they have since we were kids. You were just so engrossed in what you were reading," his brother observed, pulling a pitcher of water out of the refrigerator.

"I guess I was," he admitted, grinning down at the thing he was reading.

"Is it from Hermione?" George asked, knowing that the only thing that would make him grin the way his brother was right then was the brown haired girl.

"Yeah, it is," Fred said, looking up to judge how his twin would feel about it. George filled a glass full of water an placed the pitcher back where it belonged.

"Is she doing all right?"

"She said that she's worried that you would be upset with her," Fred replied.

"What?" George exclaimed, shocked that Hermione would ever think that. "Why would I be upset with her?"

"I don't know. Maybe because she agreed to exchange letters with me," his twin shrugged.

"Why would I be upset with her for that? If I should be upset with anyone, it should be with you for going after the girl I love," George said, trying his best not to raise his voice, so he wouldn't wake up their parents.

"I know that, George, but this is Hermione we are talking about. She's constantly worried that she's upsetting people with the things she does. Especially if its people that she cares about," Fred replied, folding the parchment and putting it in his pocket.

"That's true," he agreed, sighing. "Have you talked to her since she left?"

"No. They just left yesterday," George stated.

"That's true, but a lot of things have happened since then. Malfoy and Charlie are there with her. She gets to see them every day. I've been writing her letters. You've not talked to her at all," his twin said, letting his owl out into the night air.

"You're right," George replied, his brain turning, trying to think of ways to talk with Hermione more, to remind her that he was still here.

"I usually am," Fred teased heading toward the stairs.

"Fred? Why are you helping me? I mean, it's clear that you have some type of feelings for her. Why would you help me if it meant hurting your own chances?" George wondered.

"Because, my dear brother, if I don't get the girl, I'm pulling for you," he replied, before turning around and walking up the stairs.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Good afternoon class. My name is Professor Chaffin and I'll be teaching you about relationships this year," the young blonde witch greeted her class as they took their seats. It was the last class of the day and Hermione really didn't want to be in this class. What could the Ministry appointed class really teach them? If they were so concerned that there would be issues in their relationships then maybe they shouldn't have passed the stupid bill.

"I'm sure most of you really do not want to be taking this class. You are probably thinking how stupid this law is and how if you do have problems in you future marriage, its the Ministry's fault," Professor Chaffin started, startling Hermione. Can she use legilimency?

"I would have to agree with you on thinking that this is the most idiotic law the Ministry has ever passed and I've personally told the Minister so, right to his face," she added, earning several applause and some chuckles from the students.

"However, no matter how much we moan and complain, they aren't changing their minds, so we might as well make the best of it and start this new adventure we are on with as much help as we can, don't you think?" she saw a hand raise in the back of the room. "Yes, do you have a question, Mr...?"

"Zabini. Blaise Zabini," the Slytherin replied in what could only be his most flirtatious voice.

"Yes, Mr. Zabini. What's your question?" Professor Chaffin asked, unphased by the known womaniser.

"Are you married? And if not, doesn't that mean that you should be taking this class instead of teaching it?"

"It's really none of your business if I'm married or not, Mr. Zabini," she started, causing several of the students to laugh as their new professor put him in his place.

"But since I want complete honesty in this classroom, I need to be honest with you as well. I got married right after I left Hogwarts to the man I fell in love with back in fourth year. He was the love of my life and we were so incredible happy. We both began working at the Ministry he as an auror and I worked as a counsellor for muggleborn wizards and witches that were having issues adjusting after school," Professor Chaffin walked in front of her desk smiling slightly at the memories. "Then about two years ago, my husband got called into his office and was advised that something evil was coming, something that would effect all wizards and witches, but  
especially muggleborns. The evil bastards wanted to be rid of all of the muggleborns. My husband was beside himself with fear for my safety, so he made me move to the United States, where my parents teach at a University in Ohio. He knew that things would be getting dangerous and difficult and he said that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on doing his job. He  
kissed me goodbye and promised he would be back. He wrote me everyday up until this past April, when he said it was too dangerous. he believed the end of the whole thing was about to be decided and he would be to get me soon.

"At the end of May, there was a knock one Saturday afternoon at my door. I opened it and saw my husbands best friend from school, Bill Weasley, standing at my door. He told me that Jared had fought in the battle here at Hogwarts and had died."

All of the girls in the room had tears streaming down their faces, hearts broken by the loss this young woman had been through. Loss that most of them could relate to in one way or another after the same war that had taken away Professor Chaffin's true love.

"You're Jared Chaffin's wife?" Ron asked from his seat next to Luna, who had tears falling down her face at the thought of losing Ron. He had known Jared pretty well from the young man's visit to the Burrow when he was in Hogwarts.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, I am," she smiled at the young man who had the same vibrant red hair as his big brother. Hermione raised her hand, having a question.

"Yes, Ms. Granger," the professor called, knowing who the young women was because of her relationship with the Weasley's and the Boy Who Lived.

"Is the Ministry making you accept petitions?" Professor Chaffin nodded solemnly, glad that Hermione had asked the question instead of having to tell that story. She was not expecting the explosion of out rage that irrupted from her female student and some of the males as well.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Hermione exclaimed, shaking her head.

"The stupid gits!" Ginny cried, ready to storm the Ministry, her wand already pulled out. Harry pulled her back down into her seat, rubbing her back, trying to calm her down.

"Sounds like something, they would do," Draco replied, running his hand through his hair as he often did now days, to try and calm himself down.

"Calm down. Calm down," the professor called out. "I know. It's ridiculous, but it is what it is. I didn't plan on telling you this for a while but I'm glad I did. Now, even when you hate this class and you hate the fact that you have to get married so young, you know that there is someone who understands what you are going through."

She looked at the wall clock and saw she only had a few more minutes of class left.

"Before I dismiss you for the day, I want to give you a small assignment that we will use for the next class. I know some of you are already engaged, some of you have petitions or have sent petitions, but haven't decided. And there are a few of you who have not gotten a petition yet or  
haven't sent them yet. My assignment for all of you, is to write down a list of all the things that you would want in a husband or wife. If you could create your ideal person. Be truthful and don't just talk about their physical attributes. One day those will be gone and you'll need  
something other then lust to keep you together." The bell rang, indicating the end of classes for the day.

"I'll see you on Thursday."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As Draco and Hermione sat down at her favourite table in the library, Hermione couldn't help but think of the class she had just come out of. Professor Chaffin had more reason then any of them to hate the Marriage Law, and yet, there she was, trying to help them with their relationships.

"That was intense, wasn't it?" Draco asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"It was. I knew Jared, just a small bit from his help with the Order, but I never knew he was married," she replied, shaking her head once again at the fact that the ministry was making the professor remarry so soon after the death of her husband.

"I hope she finds someone who treats her like her first husband did," he said as he pulled out a leather bound notebook.

"Me too. He was a good man," she pulled out her quill and ink and sat them in front of her.

"So, on a much, much lighter note, have you thought of any ideas for the balls?" Draco asked, smiling across the table at her.

"Actually, I do have a few ideas," Hermione admitted. "Its obvious that the dates have already been decided for us and its going to be difficult to not use the holiday as part of the theme."

"That's true," he agreed, taking small notes in his notebook.

"But I, for one, do not want to whole thing to be all about Halloween, Christmas or Valentines Day. I think we should pick a theme that coincides with the holiday. Like for Halloween, we could do a costume ball or a masquerade type thing."

"Those are great ideas. I'm not sure about a masquerade though, seeing that our faces would be covered up and the purpose of the balls is for us to get to know people," Draco replied.

"That's very true. So maybe a theme costume ball," she suggested, writing down the idea.

"That would be interesting. We could do something about different countries or cultures," Draco brainstormed.

"Yes. Or even something about fairy-tales, muggle and wizarding alike," Hermione added.

"Oh, I like that one better. I think it would be hysterical to see what people would come up with," he replied smiling at the thought of Blaise dressed up like the Big Bad Wolf.

"So, we both agree on a fairy tale themed, costume ball?" she asked.

"Most definitely," Draco agreed, grinning. "Who says that Gryffindor and Slytherins can't work together?" he asked. Hermione laughed and wrote down their idea.

"We should come up with a name for the ball. Something catchier then 'fairytale themes costume ball." They both sat there, thought running through both of their heads.

"A lot of muggle fairy-tales start out 'Once Upon a Time,' don't they?" Draco finally asked after a while.

"Yes, they do," Hermione answered, surprised that he knew that.

"What about something like 'Once Upon All Hallows Eve'? Bring the fairytale theme out, along with Halloween?" he suggested.

Hermione grinned and quickly wrote it at the top of her piece of parchment. "What a brilliant idea! Great job, Draco!"

"Thank you," he replied, grinning back and winking at the girl who sat across from him. "My work environment was very inspiring," he added, looking so intently into Hermione's eyes that she blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said as its owner sat down in the seat next to Hermione.

"Weasley, what are you doing here?" Draco demanded irritated with the intruder.

"I believe that would be Professor Weasley to you, now wouldn't it, Mr. Malfoy," Charlie asked, smirking at the boy who was shooting daggers at him.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" Hermione wondered,watching the two guys and not liking the instant hostility that was thick in the air.

"Professor McGonagall has appointed me as the faculty advisor for the balls," he answered, looking over at Hermione and smiling.

"Why didn't she tell us about you yesterday?" Draco asked sceptically, crossing his arms.

"She was still looking for the right person," Charlie replied, smirking back at Malfoy.

"And you are the right person? Have you helped plan a lot of balls in your day, Professor Weasley?" the blonde wondered.

"Enough, Draco," Hermione said, holding her hand up for him to stop. She turned and looked at the man who sat beside her, looking extremely smug.

"Charlie, how are you the right person? Why did she choose you?"

"I'm young and I have more time then some of the other professors. Plus, I have brute strength that can help you move anything you need help with," he added, teasingly.

"I don't know what we would do without you," Draco replied sarcastically. "Oh, yeah. There's something called magic that we all have the ability to use." He stood up and gathered his things. "We were almost through, weren't we, Hermione?"

She smiled up at Draco, knowing that he was leaving before he said or did something that he would end up regretting. "I think we're good for today."

"I'll see you later," he promised, leaning down and kissing Hermione on the forehead, causing her to blush furiously. He smiled down at her before turning to Charlie.

"See you later, Prof," he smirked before walking out of the library. Hermione started to gather her own things, planning on going to put them away in her dorm before dinner.

"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.

"Back to my dorm," she replied, standing and walking toward the door of the library.

"But why? I thought maybe you could come down to the hut and I could cook you some dinner," he suggested,grinning as he followed her up the moving stairs.

"I have some homework that I need to work on this evening," Hermione answered, becoming rather annoyed.

"You can do your homework later on. It will still be here after you eat," he said, gently grabbing her arm to turn her around. Hermione instinctively pulled out her wand and pulled her arm out of his grasp.

"Charlie, I've had a emotionally stressful day and all I want is to do my homework and relax. I understand that we need to spend time together, to get to know one another better, but you aren't the only one I need to do that with. And if you don't understand that, them maybe you should take back you petition."

"Hermione, I-" he started.

"Charlie, don't say anything right now. I'm irritated and I could easily say something I would regret later. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, before saying the password and walking into Gryffindor Tower.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Why does Hermione look like she could kill a pack of hypogriffs?" Ron asked later at dinner as he took as seat across from the girl.

"I would keep my mouth shut if I were you," Ginny advised, smirking as Ron looked terrified at the look Hermione was giving him.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. I was just teasing you," Ron apologised as he placed a roll on his plate.

"Yeah, well," was the response he got from the girl who usually had a whole plethora of words to hurl at him when she was angry.

"Bloody hell, Hermione what's wrong?" Ron asked, worried about his best friend.

"She's just had a rough day," Ginny answered for the girl who say beside her.

"What happen? Did Malfoy do something to you? I'll kill him!" the red head boy exclaimed standing from his seat, ready to go avenge her.

"Oh for the love of Merlin! Why do you Weasley boys always think you're better then Draco?" Hermione exploded, standing up from her seat. "Think your better then everyone else. You talk about how they say bad things about muggleborns, about how they thought they were better then everyone else. Maybe you should look in the mirror next time you want to talk like  
that!" Hermione stomped out of the Great Hall, all eyes watching as she did so.

"What did I do?" Ron asked, shocked.

"I told you to just keep your mouth shut," Ginny scolded her brother before running after Hermione. Ron looked at Harry and raised an eyebrow, silently asking him what happened.

"Charlie pissed her off earlier when she was trying to work on the balls with Malfoy. He came in and said that he was the faculty advisor for the balls. Then, apparently, he was rude to Malfoy and it rubbed Hermione the wrong way," Harry explained.

Ron laughed. "How the bloody hell did he become advisor for a BALL?"

"He said McGonagall appointed him," his friend answered.

Ron snorted, taking a bite of his food. "I doubt that. He had better hope that I'm wrong and Hermione never finds out."

"Wrong about what?" Harry asked, confused.

"You'll see if I'm right."

Hermione sat at the desk later on that evening, glad that the day was finally over. Ginny had finally calmed her down. She knew she would need to apologise to both Charlie and Ron but that could wait until the morning.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed as she came through the door.

"What, Ginny?" the brown haired girl asked, her back sill turned from the door.

"Will you turn around and you'll see what," he best girl friend said, annoyed. Hermione stood and did what she was asked. Hermione gasped at what she saw. Floating in front of Ginny was five vases full of Gerber Daisy's of every shade and colour

"Where did those come from?" she asked, rushing over and picking one of the vases out of its hold and placing it on her desk.

"There was a knock at the portrait door and Harry answered it. Sitting there in front of the door were these flowers with this envelope on top of on of the vases," Ginny answered, helping Hermione arrange the beautiful flowers so they would all fit. Hermione took the envelope and grinned at the familiar writing that said, "Hermione Jean Granger."

"Do you know who its from?" Ginny asked taking a seat next to Hermione on her bed.

"Yes, I believe I do," she replied opening the envelope.

_Dear Hermione,  
I hope that you like these flowers. I figured that the bright colours would brighten up your room. I hope that you know that I couldn't ever be upset with you for trying to find your true love. You are doing exactly what you should be doing. I miss you so much and I wish I could see you._

_But know that even though we might not see each other everyday, that I am still here, always thinking about you, dreaming about you._

_Love always,  
George  
_  
Hermione grinned through a few tears that escaped.

"I believe that at least one Weasley boy doesn't think he's better then Malfoy," Ginny observed, reading the letter over her shoulder.

"I believe you're right," Hermione agreed, hugging the letter tightly against her chest.

**So, what did you think? Do you like Professor Chaffin? Please tell me what you think. Otherwise I don't know if you want me to keep writing it or not. I'll try to update again soon. This is Spring Break here and I'm off of work Monday-Wednesday, so I should have time to do some writing. SHOULD being the word. LOL. Happy Reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 16

"I will always love you George Weasley," the beautiful brown haired women whispered in his ear as they twirled around the dance floor.

He smiled down at his new bride, who still wore the beautiful white dress they had said their vows in an hour before.

"And I will always love you Hermione Jean Weasley," he replied, leaning down and kissing her passionately on the lips.

Peck, peck, peck, came a noise over his wives shoulder.

"What's that?" she wondered, turning to look.

Peck, peck, peck, the same sound came again.

"Oi! George, open the window and let the bloody bird in," Fred grumbled causing George to open his eyes.

_Damn, it was just a dream, _he thought angrily as he threw his cover off to open the windown, cursing whoever had sent an owl so early in the morning. When a bird he recognized flew in, he grinned widely, deciding that it was a good wake up call, especially since the bird perched itself on his bed and not his twin's.

"Good morning, Austen," George greeted the bird quietly, digging through his bed side table for a treat. He took the piece of parchment that was tied around the birds leg and sat down to read it as the bird flew away.

_Dear George,_

_Thank you so, so much for the exquisite flowers. They are beautiful and no girl in all of Gryffindor tower can believe how sweet and thoughtful you are. Be careful, Mr. Weasley, the male population might try to hex you into next century, because they'll have to clue how to be so thoughtful_

_I miss seeing you, too. I miss your voice and your laugh. Even when I was upset, you could make me smile, just by looking at your mischievous face. Those flowers helped me out yesterday when i was having a rough day. Just thought I would let you know. _

_Wishing you were here,_

_Hermione_

The grin that covered George's face was massive. She wanted to see him.

"Whose the letter from," his twin grumbled, propping himself up on one arm.

When he saw the look that his brother had on his face, he knew. "How is Hermione?"

"She loved the flowers and she wants to see me," was his twin's reply.

"That's great. But how is she? Did she sound happy or upset?" Fred asked, sitting all the way up.

"She said that she had a rough day yesterday," his twin answered, frowning when he realized that he hadn't really been paying attention to how she was.

"I wonder what happened," Fred mused, getting up and walking over to the dresser where he kept his quil and parchment.

"What are you doing?" his twin asked.

"I'm going to write Hermione and ask her how she is doing and such. And then I'm going to write our sister and ask her what really happened," he answered, sitting back down on his bed to begin writing.

"THat's not a bad idea. Do you want me to write the letter to Ginny and we can both sign it?" George offered, pulling out his own writing utensil.

"Sounds brilliant."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hermione! Hermione!" a voice called to the young witch as she walked toward the Great Hall for breakfast. She turned to see Charlie running toward her, dark circles under his eyes as if he handn'tslept a wink.

"Charlie, are you alright?" she asked, touching his arm in concern.

"Hermione, I just wanted to tell you how incredibly sorry I am for upsetting you yesterday."

"Charlie, its okay," Hermione replied, smiling at the man. "I shouldn't have been so upset. I'm sorry, too."

"You have no reason to be sorry, Mione," Charlie replied, using the nickname she had been given by the Weasley's for the first time. "I shouldn't have just barged into the converstation that you and Malfoy were having."

"You have every right to be there, especially since Professor McGonagall assigned you as the faculty adviser," the brown haired witch assured him.

"About that..."

"Hey Charlie," Ginny interrupted, coming up to where the pair stood. "I'm glad to see you two talking. Are you coming to breakfast, Mione? we have to be at potions a few minutes early, remember?"

"Oh, that's right! Sorry, Charlie, but I need to go grab a quick breakfast. I"ll see you later, okay?" Hermione replied, hugging the man before following Ginny.

Charlie sighed and shook his head. _Well I tried to tell her. That's all I can really do._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Did my brother apologize?" Ginny asked as the girls sat down to breakfast.

"He did," Hermione said, smiling as she picked up a banana out of the bowl of fruit in front of them. "And I apologized to him for being so up tight."

"That's great," the red head smiled.

"What's great?" Harry asked as he took a seat beside his fiancee'.

"Hermione and Charlie made up," she explained as Ron sat across from the pair.

"Ron, I'm sorry I blew up at you last night. You did nothing wrong and it was so unfair of me to blow up at you like that," Hermione apologized earnestly to one of her oldest friend.s

"That's okay, Mione. Ginny told me to keep my mouth shut," Ron replied, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "I should probably start listening to her."

"But you won't," Ginny said, smirking at her brother.

"Probably not," he admitted, his mouth full of food. "Life would be too easy that way.

Hermione, Ginny and Harry laughed at Ron's assessment of life as the morning post came flying in.

"Look, it's Fred's bird again," Ron observed as the owl sat down on the table right in between Ginny and Hermione.

"Poor thing! He's got quite a load," Hermione said as she untied two envelopes from the birds leg. "This one is for you, Ginny."

"For me?" the red head asked, surprised that her brother would be writing to her. She quickly open her letter and skimmed over it, before sighing and gathering her things.

"Where are you going?" Harry wondered, noticing that she hadn't even finished her glass of juice, which she always did.

"I have to go do something," was her vague reply. "I'll see you in potions," Ginny promised as she made her way out of the Great Hall.

"I wonder what that was about," Ron mused, looking over where Hermione was grinning, reading her letter from Fred.

_Dear Hermione,  
Good morning! Yes, I'm up extremely early because a beautiful girl sent my brother a letter, but I didn't mind. It gave me some time to write you a proper letter._

_How have you been? Anything interesting happening? You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you?_

_The shop is going well. Its a lot less busy now that summer is over and all of the students are back at Hogwarts, but I think that's a good thing. It gives George and I time to come up with new products! Maybe I should come up with a product that reminds me of you. Yes...Yes I think that sounds like a brilliant idea. I always seem to have the best ideas, don't I?_

_You asked who got the first question. Well, I think I'll take it. Before you found out that you were a witch, what muggle job did you want when you grew up? I bet you didn't expect that sort of question, did you?_

_I hop you have a wonderful day. Know that I am always think of you._

_Love Always,_

_Fred_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ginny walked to the dungeons and sat in front of the potions classroom door, knowing that this would be a quite place, where no one would be for a while. Pulling out the letter she had recieved at breakfast, she read it once again.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Why did Hermione have a bad day yesterday? Did someone do something to her? If so, who did it so we can send them a...gift. (And yes, we said we.)If someone hurt her, we have the right to know._

_Hope school is going well._

_Love,_

_George and Fred_

Ginny shook her head and smirked. Only those two would send a letter like that. She dug through her knap sack and found her quil and notebook.

_Fred and George,_

_You know if Hermione found out about this letter, both of you could be in trouble for being over protective. You know she can take care of herself, don't you? She's the female member of the 'Golden Trio' for Merlin's sake!_

_But, because I know that you are both worried about her, I will answer your question. Charlie got under her skin yesterday. She and Malfoy were appointed to orginize the balls for this year. They were working on it in the library when Charlie burst in there, acting like he owned the place, announcing that Professor McGonagall appointed him as the 'Faculty Advisor' for the ball committee. The he started having a go at Malfoy, which really bugged her. BUT, the've made up, so there's nothing that you two need to do. You now she will find out if you do, right?_

_School is good, just a lot of drama and emotions with this whole marriage law. You would think since I'm already engaged, things would be less emotional for me._

_Be good,_

_Ginny._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione had never been so happy that a day of classes were over in her life. All the professor's seemed to either be in bad moods, or just thought that the student population wanted nothing more then to spend every waking house doing homework.

As she took the seat that had always been hers in the library, Hermione began pulling out all of the assignments that she had been given. As she pulled out the last one, Fred's letter from that morning fell out of the front pocket.

Smiling, she decided to give herself a small break before she started her work and answer his letter.

_Dear Fred,_

_You need to stop sleeping your life away! That's why I sent Austen with the letter so early!_

_I know that I can tell you anything. Nothings happened that's worth writing about. I'm good though._

_Its kind of scary to think that you two have unlimited time to think up new products. Makes me glad that I'm on your side. I have no clue on what kind of product you would make that would be something that reminds you of me. Good luck with that. _

_That's a very good question and you are right, I didn't expect you to ask me something so...normal. Before I found out that I was a witch, I wanted to be a doctor. That's the equivalent to a Healer, expect they don't use magic and potions to heal people. They use medicine and other muggle remedies to fix things up. Its quite fascinating, I assure you._

_My turn...what is your favorite memory that you've had with you family? I always love to hear stories about memories._

_Well, I must sign off for now. i have more work to do now then I ever had before._

_Always,_

_Hermione_

She re-read the letter that she had just written. After correcting a mistake, she smiled, folded and placed it in her front pocket to give to Austen later.

_Now to start on this pile of homework, _Hermione though, sighing as she began with transfigurations.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Merlin, Mione. You look terrible," Ron greeted his best girl friend as she sat down for breakfast the next morning.

"Thanks, Ronald," she replied bitterly as she took an apple from the bowl. She was exhausted. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep because of all the work she had. But it had all gotten done.

"Hermione, did you do all of the assignments last night?" Ginny asked in disbelief. "Most of those weren't due for a few weeks. The only thing that was due today was the essay for Professor Chaffin on our dream person.

What little color Hermione had left on her face quickly vanished. "Oh Merlin! How could I be so stupid!" she exclaimed.

"Hermoine, what's wrong?"Harry asked, watching his best friend with concern as she gathered her things up quickly.

"How could I have forgotten an assignment?" she yelled hysterically as she ran out the Great Hall doors. _I have to to hurry up and get to the library before classes start, _she thought frantically as she ran around a corner, running into something hard, causing her to drop all of her things.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly while she tried to gather her things.

"Hermione? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" a concerned voice asked.

_Crying? _she wondered, putting her hand to her face and feeling wetness. Hermione looked up and saw a blur of blonde hair standing in front of her.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked again, watching as she wiped angrily at her tears that were flowing freely.

"Nothing. I'm just trying to get to the library and you got in my way!" she snapped.

Draco took a step back and put his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry I ran into you, Hermione," he replied softly, sounding extremely hurt.

Hermione sighed, feeling abut the size of a pea for taking her issues out on Draco, who hadn't done anything wrong. "I'm so sorry, Draco. Its not your fault. I should have been watching where I was going but I was so busy thinking how thick I was because I was so busy doing all of the other assignments and I forgot to do the assignment for Professor Chaffin and I don't want her to think badly of me..."

"Shh, Its okay," Draco said, calmly as the young witch in front of him broke down. He pulled her into his arms and walked her towards the library. In all the years that he had known Hermione he had never seen her so upset and beside herself.

Draco steered them towards one of the loveseats that sat in front of the fireplace and pulled her down to sit next to him. They sat there for several minutes, the young women crying while the young man held her tight, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Thank you, Draco. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier," Hermione finally said after she had calmed down.

"Its quite alright," he assured her, still holding her close.

"It really isn't, but its kind of you to say so," she replied, sitting up and putting her head in her hands. "I can't believe that I forgot about that assignment."

"Hermione, I could really understand all of what you were saying because of all the blubbering," he teased, causing her to give him a small smile. "But from what I did understand, all you need to do is do the small paragraph for Professor Chaffin, right? I'll even help you if you need me to." He grinned and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quil. Then he began writing.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked leaning back on the seat to see what he was writing. "'It doesn't take a lot to make me happy,'" she read aloud as he wrote. "'All I really need in life in a devilishly handsome man with blonde hair and grey eyes. I need a man who will hold me when I'm a blubbering idiot and help me remember that things can be easy, if I just allow them to be. Lastly, it would be brilliant if he could be extremely well off, where I would be able to work in any capacity that I like and have no need to worrying about the money. In other words, all I really need is one Draco Malfoy.'"

Hermione grinned and felt her cheeks heat up. In all actuality some of the things he had written were pretty close to being accurate. "I didn't know you were looking for a man who looked like you and share your name," she teased. "Why on earth did you ever petition me?"

Draco smiled fondly at the girl who sat next to him and turned where he could look at her better. "I petitioned you because you've fascinated me for years. The way you think, the way you react and the way you stand up for the things you are most passionate about. In the process of observing you for years, I've discovered that I am falling fast for a girl who I never thought I could have, but always hoped I would. You are a breath taking beauty, Hermione," he whispered to her.

She shook her head, knowing he was lying. "I hardly got any sleep last night and know I'm sure my nose is swollen from all of that crying."

Draco smiled and placed his hand on the side of her face. "And yet you are still beautiful," he assured her, leaning close and kissing her gently.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ginny watched as the couple in front of her moved closer to one another. She watched as the boy placed his hand on the face of the girl sitting next to him and how he leaned in and kissed her.

"Merlin's Beard!" he fiancee whispered, shocked to see his best friend and long time enemy in such a tender embrace.

"Shh!" Ginny warned from her place next to him, where they had been watching the pair.

After Hermione had exited the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny had decided to go and check on their friend. That's how they had found Hermione, wrapped protectively in Draco Malfoy's arms.

"He's looking at her like you look at me," Ginny observed, shocked at the look of love and adoration that radiated off of the blonde haired boy.

"And she has a similar look that you get when you look at me, Gin," Harry replied, watching as his best friend placed her arms around Draco's neck.

"What if she picks him?" Ginny asked, for the first time actually believe it could happen.

"We except him as Hermione's choice," Harry answered, pulling her into his arms reassuringly. "And threaten to hex his balls off if he hurts her."

**I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a few weeks. I've had this ready forever and I sent it to my beta a few weeks ago. I haven't heard back though. Sorry for any mistakes. If I haven't heard from my beta in the next few days, I'm going to need an new one...let me know if you are interested. Tell me what you think please, so I will know that you are still interested. I haven't been getting many reviews for this story. I hope you like this chapter. :) Happy Reading. **


	18. Chapter 18

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 17

The next few weeks flew by for Hermione. Her schedule had never been so full, but she hadn't ever felt more happy...or confused. She had been spending time with both Charlie and Draco on the grounds of Hogwarts, getting to know both of them better.

She'd also been writing letters to the twins; about one every other day. Hermione had grown addicted to the notes she was receiving from George and she had learned more from her correspondence with Fred than she had in all of the years she had known him. She desperately wished that she could see the pair. So, when she received a letter from both of them asking if they could take her to Hogsmeade on the last weekend of September, she jumped at the chance to spend time with the two, even if it was both of them together.

The Friday night before she would be meeting the twins, Ginny and Luna showed up in her room to help her decide on what to wear. She had been so worried about it all day; she hadn't been able to think about anything else, which was not like her at all.

"What am I going to do?" Hermione groaned as she threw herself on her bed dramatically.

Ginny shook her head and laughed. "You sound like Lavender."

"Oh, Merlin," was the brilliant witch's reply as she stood and walked over to the closet that held her clothes. "But seriously. I have nothing to wear for tomorrow."

Luna pulled something small from her pocket, as did Ginny, both girls laying it on Hermione's bed before enlarging the items.

"With all the groaning and panic you did today, I figured you didn't have anything," Ginny said, holding up the long, white skirt and dark purple top for Hermione to see.

"Are you sure?" she asked her friend, knowing that both items were new to Ginny's wardrobe.

"Of course you can borrow it," she shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"And I brought some shoes that you can borrow," Luna chimed in, enlarging the simple pair of wedged sandals.

"Their gorgeous," Hermione said, smiling at her friend. She picked up the shoes and examined it. "They are a bit small for me, but I think I'll manage."

Luna grinned, and with a flick of her wand, the shoe grew a size. "We do have the ability to do magic, don't we?"

Hermione laughed and hugged her two friends, grateful for their help. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Luna said.

"Not a problem," Ginny agreed. "Just one more way to try and marry you off to one of my brothers," she added with a smirk.

Hermione grinned. "What should I do with my hair?" she asked suddenly, catching a glance of her unruly hair in the mirror across the room.

Ginny and Luna exchanged a look with one another, grinning. "I had a feeling you would say that," the red head replied, pulling out yet another package from her pocket.

"You think of everything, don't you," Hermione grinned.

"Someone has to," was Ginny's reply as she and Luna sat out helping Hermione decide which hair style to use and how to do her makeup for her date with the twins.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione barely slept that night. Even though Luna and Ginny had helped her with what she would wear and how she would do her hair and such, there were certain things that they just couldn't help her with. She knew that she felt something strong for George and Fred. She just wasn't sure exactly what it was.

As she walked down to breakfast that morning she felt a hand grab her and pull her into an empty classroom.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she demanded, whirling around and pointing her wand at the person who had forced her into the classroom.

"Tell you good morning," a voice replied, arms encircling her. Before she could respond, her lips were covered in a passionate kiss that made Hermione forget her own name.

"Now that's how every morning should begin," the man replied, with his signature smirk.

"Indeed," she agreed, grinning, her hands still wrapped around his neck. "What brought that on?"

"I saw you looking so beautiful and just had to show you how beautiful I think you are," Draco replied, leaning down to kiss her gently. "I wish that you were accompanying me to Hogsmeade"

"Draco," she started, pulling her hands from around his neck slowly.

"I'm not upset," the boy insisted, pulling her arms back to where they had been. "I have no problem what so ever with you spending the day with the twins. You need to spend some time with them too. I just wish you were going to be with me today, that's all."

Hermione smiled at the man who stood in front of her. "How about we spend tomorrow together? We need to work on more details for the ball at the end of next month anyway."

Draco grinned at her suggestion. "And maybe I can persuade you to do something other the planning," he smirked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Don't you wish," she flirted.

"Oh, but I do. I really, really do," he said, leaning down to capture her lips in another mind blowing kiss.

"We had better go down to breakfast," Hermione said, at the moment wanting to do nothing of the sort.

Draco nodded, opening the door of the classroom for Hermione to exit. They walked hand in hand down the hallway in comfortable silence.

"I hope you have fun today," Draco said as they approached the doors to the Great Hall.

"Thank you," she replied.

Draco kissed the brown haired with on the forehead and hugged her tightly before releasing her hand and walking toward the Slytherin table.

Feeling a little lonely without the comfort of Draco's strong, comforting hand, she made her way over to her own table.

"Where've you been?" Ginny asked, grinning knowingly at her friend.

"Nowhere," she replied blushing, picking up an apple.

"How's Malfoy this morning?" Harry wondered, smirking.

"Fine..." was Hermione's reply.

"He looks like he might have just a bit of lip gloss right here," Ginny teased, pointing to the corner of her mouth.

"Honestly," Hermione huffed, turning beet red, standing to leave.

"Oh come on, Mione, we're just teasing," Harry said grabbing a hold of his best friends arm to pull her back down to sit beside him.

"Didn't mean to upset you," Ginny added.

"I'm sorry for being so sensitive," Hermione replied, knowing she had over reacted.

"No worries," Ginny insisted.

"Where's Ron?" Hermione wondered, changing the subject.

"He and Luna left earlier this morning. They got special permission to meet mum in Diagon Alley to make some purchases for the wedding," the red head answered.

"Oh, that's right," Hermione remembered the Ravenclaw talking a little about her wedding the night before when they had all been in Hermione's room. Luna had asked both of the girls to be bridesmaids and they all had plans to go look at dresses the next weekend if McGonagall would allow. Ron and Luna had decided to get married the day before Halloween so that their friends would be able to attend both their wedding and the ball. Hermione looked down at her watch and stood up.

"I should be heading down to Hogsmeade or I'll be late."

"We'll walk with you," Harry offered, standing as well.

"That would be nice," Hermione replied.

The three friends walked the familiar path down to the wizarding village discussing all of the upcoming weddings. It was amazing to Hermione at some of the couples that had come together and how quickly some of them were getting married. Seamus Finnegan and Cho Chang had decided to get married the following weekend while there were rumours that Lavender Brown was marrying Terry Boot the first day of October, which would be tomorrow. With all of the rumours and such flying around, it was difficult to know what was true and what was false.

As Ginny was just about to tell them who she had heard Susan Bone was going to marry, an arm snaked its way around Hermione's waste, while another circled her shoulders.

"Hermione!" exclaimed two identical voices. She found herself in the middle of an awkward, yet comforting bear hug.

"If you two don't give her some air, you're going to smother the poor girl to death," Ginny warned her overly excited brothers.

The pair stepped back just a bit, their arms still around her arms and waste.

"Lovely to see you little sister," George replied.

"I do hope that you won't be joining us on our day with Hermione," Fred said.

"Not that we don't enjoy your company," George informed his little sister.

"We love both you and your dear boy Harry here," Fred promised.

"But we really," George said.

"Really," Fred added.

"Want Hermione to ourselves today," they finished in unison, causing Harry to laugh, Ginny to roll her eyes and Hermione to blush they colour of a ripe tomato.

"We planned on joining you actually," Ginny informed her brothers, smirking, folding her arms over her chest.

"I believe that you need to change your plans, then," Fred replied, eyeing Harry.

"Come on, love," Harry said, gently taking his fiancée's hand. "Didn't you want to go look for a dress to wear to Seamus wedding?"

"I suppose I did," she admitted reluctantly, accepting his hand. "And we can go look at the little lingerie shop that just opened down the road too and let you pick something out for me to model for you."

"Oi!" The twins exclaimed together, removing their arms from around Hermione and taking a step towards Harry.

Ginny grinned, leading her fiancée away from her irate brothers. "Bye Hermione," she called to her best friend.

Hermione shook her at the red head and her constant need to get her brothers going. Which she's done very well, she thought, watching as the twins still looked as if they wanted to follow after the pair that was walking down the street, no doubt planning the demise of the boy who lived if she stepped on toe into that shop with their sister.

Hermione stood there for a moment, waiting for the twins to calm down and begin their day together. "You know, Harry would never step foot into that store," she finally informed the pair, smirking. The boy that was like her brother would almost faint from embarrassment if he did.

George and Fred turned toward Hermione, almost as if they forgot she was there.

"Hermione," George breathed her name, stepping close to her once more.

"We're so sorry," Fred said, following his brothers action.

"This isn't how we wanted to start out day with you," George replied, shaking his head angrily, hating that his sister had distracted him.

"Maybe we could start over," Fred suggested to his twin, who nodded and grinned removing his arm from around her.

"Where did you go?" Hermione asked, looking all around, no sight of the twins anywhere, waiting to see if they would reappear.

"Hermione," a voice called behind her. She turned to see a head of red hear, but not who she had been waiting for.

"Hey Charlie," she said, smiling half heartedly. It's not that she wasn't happy to see him...she was. But she saw him every day, sometimes more than once. She hadn't seen the twins since they had left one another at the train station.

"You're looking beautiful today," he complemented her, kissing her on the cheek in greeting.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling a bit more brightly at him.

"She doesn't look beautiful," a voice said next to her ear. She turned to see George standing beside her once more.

"She looks stunning," another voice supplied. Fred beamed down at her, making her heart skip a beat.

"Breath taking," George added.

"Ravishing," they said together, grinning as a deep blush took up the majority of her face.

"Now, if you will excuse us, big brother," George started, taking one of Hermione's hands.

"Today is our day with Hermione," Fred said, taking her other hand.

"And we must be off," they finished together, apperating away, leaving a very angry Charlie Weasley.

**I'm not even going to say I'm sorry for not updating for a few weeks. Lets just say that life happens beyond our control and just leave it at that, shall we? I hope you like this chapter. I already have the next two chapters written. I hope to have them sent to my new beta and have two more chapters up for you within the next week. :) Yes, I do have a new beta, WannaberelatedtoaGod. Thanks for getting this back to me so quickly. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I REALLY want your opinion. Please. They really do help me write quicker. I got a really wonderful review just the other day that helped me get through the last few chapters. :) Anywho, Happy Reading. **


	19. Chapter 19

**I own nothing!**

Chapter 18

Hermione was so shocked at the sudden apperating the twins had down with her that she ended up losing her balance and almost falling face first on the polished wood floor.

"Be careful, love," George said, gently helping her stand straight.

"Thanks," she replied, dusting off her skirt. She stood observing the room they were in. There were shelves lining two of the walls with multiple boxes stacked on them. In the middle of the room were two tables with various vials and tons of materials that you would never think to mix together.

"Why did you bring me to your shop?" Hermione asked cautiously, worried about what sort of prank the twins had planned for her.

George and Fred exchanged a look grinning widely at the young grinning widely.

"Do you not trust us?" George asked as he led her to take a seat at one of the work stations.

"Not completely," she answered truthfully.

"I'm shocked, Ms. Granger," Fred gasped, putting his hand to his chest dramatically. He grinned down at her leaning down to kiss of briefly on the cheek.

"There's something we want to show you," George announced.

"Stay right here and we'll be right back," Fred added, following his twin through a closet door.

Hermione looked around the room at some of the products that her twins had in the works. She had been thinking of George and Fred as 'her twins' for a while now, a thought that scared her a little bit.

What's this? She wondered as she picked up an innocent looking piece of candy. But she knew that nothing that was made by the Weasley twins was ever innocent.

"I really wouldn't eat that if I were you," George warned as he walked back into the work area, confirming her thoughts of it being not so innocent.

"What happens if you do?" she asked, watching as Fred put a rectangular box in front of her on the table.

"You bark every other word you speak," Fred answered.

Hermione laughed. "For how long?"

"Well, we are going for about thirty minutes, but as of right now, it's about a week," George replied.

"Who did you test it on?" she wondered, grinning.

"Lee," the boys laughed at the memory of their best friend having to explain to his father, who he worked for, why he barked at him every time Lee was asked a question.

"I hope you don't ever test a product out on me," she replied, suddenly worried that was exactly what they were about to do.

"We pay Lee to do that to him," Fred said, taking a seat to Hermione's left.

"And we wouldn't even think of testing a product on you," George promised, sitting on her other side.

"Unless you gave us permission," Fred added, grinning as Hermione laughed.

"I can assure you that I won't be doing that any time soon," she said, grinning. "So what's in the box?"

Fred and George exchanged a look, having a silent conversation with their eyes. George nodded at his brother, as if giving him the permission to go ahead.

"Do you remember a while ago when I told you I was going to make a product that was inspired by you?" Fred asked.

"Yes I do," she replied cautiously, eyeing the box worriedly.

George and Fred grinned at her reaction. "We promise that there is nothing in that box that will hurt you," George said.

"But I did come up with a product that reminds me of you, with George's help, of course," Fred replied, gently pushing that box toward her. "Open it."

Hermione looked at each of the twins, trying to see if there was any deception in their eyes. All she saw was two excited sets of eyes, looking much like a little kid on Christmas morning. She opened the box cautiously, removing the lid and putting it to the side. She moved some tissue paper to reveal a muggle pen.

"It's a pen," she replied stupidly, wondering if it would shoot out ink like some of the pens she had seen at muggle joke shops.

George and Fred laughed at her reaction.

"It might look like any old regular muggle pen," George said.

"But it defiantly does not act like a normal pen," Fred replied, picking the pen up out of the box. He held it out for Hermione to inspect.

"The Granger 2000?" she asked, reading the name of the product that was written along the side of the pen in elegant cursive writing. "What does it do?"

"I thought you would never ask," Fred grinned, clicking the top of the pen, causing a mysterious mist to escape from the end. He quickly wrote 'Property of Hermione J. Granger' in midair and handed the device to her.

"One click helps you identify who it belongs to. The Granger 2000 will remember the owner because of the finger print it took after I handed it to you," Fred explained. "No one else will be able to activate it or read anything that's in there, unless you want them to."

"If you click it twice, you will go to the schedule portion of the Granger 2000," George said, causing Hermione to click it twice. A calendar came out of the bottom of the pen, floating in front of her. She looked at the digital like calendar, extremely impressed by the level of magic the twins had pulled out for this invention.

"To set something on a particular date, you just write on the square in the calendar," Fred explained as Hermione wrote on the current day, 'Hogsmeade day with my twins.'

"Your twins?" George and Fred asked, causing Hermione to blush furiously. She hadn't meant to write 'my twins'; it's just how she always thought of them.

"So, what happens if you click it three times?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

Fred and George exchanged a look, grinning, deciding to let it drop. For now.

"If you click the pen three times, you go to the notes sections. You can leave yourself reminders," George said.

"Or you can use it for a journal or diary," Fred added.

She clicked it three times and a digital piece of parchment appeared in front of her. At the top of the page were a series of letters.

"What are those for?" she wondered.

"Write something," George instructed. Hermione did as she was asked and wrote 'hello' on the page.

"Okay, now push the 'E' to erase it," Fred said, smiling as Hermione's eyes grew wide as the word vanished into thin air.

"This really is brilliant," she replied, amazed.

"Thank you," the twins said, beaming.

"'S' is for save. 'R' is to remind you of something," George said pointing at the other letters at the top of the page.

"How do you make it where no one else can see it?" Hermione asked, no wanting the world to see what she might be writing.

"You twist the clicker twice and only you'll be able to see it," Fred answered.

She twisted it twice and then wrote a sentence that she knew would get both boys attention, if they could see it. Hermione turned and looked at them, smirking when they didn't react and quickly pushed the 'E' before turning the clicker twice again, assuming that's how to make it visible for others again.

"What did you write?" Fred wondered, noting the very uncharacteristic smirk that had been on Hermione's face.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she flirted, earning a grin from both of them.

"Actually we would," George said.

"And we have ways of getting you to talk," Fred informed the brown haired with, winking at her.

"I'm sure you do," she grinned, looking down at the device in her hand. "Thank you so much for this. I really don't think that anyone has ever tried to create something that reminds them of me before. I love it," Hermione stood and hugged each one of them, nearly melting into each of their strong arms.

"You're welcome," George replied, grinning at his twin, nodding, as they had yet another one of the silent conversations.

"Actually, love, there is one more thing we would like to show you on the Granger 2000," Fred informed her as George pulled out two more boxes exactly like hers for his pocket.

"What else could possibly be in this thing?" Hermione wondered.

"Click it four times," George suggested.

She clicked it four times, revealing another floating piece of parchment with two sets of letters at the top of it. Suddenly the pen grew warm and the 'GrW' at the top of the page glowed red. Hermione looked over at the twins, who beamed back at her.

"Point at the red letters," Fred instructed.

She pointed at the letters and suddenly the name 'George Weasley' was on the page and below it was a message. 'You look insanely beautiful when you blush.'

Hermione grinned, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks once more. "We can communicate with one another through these?"

"Yes," they answered.

"How?" The brightest witch of their age asked, curious how it worked.

"Well, we can't give you the exact knowledge behind it," Fred started, grinning.

"But basically you push the clicker down and hold it and write the name of the person you want to be on your instant contact screen and their abbreviations will appear," George explained.

"I wonder if it will work in the castle," she mused.

Fred and George grinned widely. "Yes, it actually does."

"You are extremely cute when you sleep, you know," they informed her.

Hermione's eyes widen in horror. "You were in my room while I was sleeping?" she screeched, sounding a lot like their mother when she was angry.

"You were asleep on the couch in the common room," George explained, his hands in the air surrender.

Hermione calmed down instantly, remembering that night. She had been reading a book for Potions and had been exhausted. The next thing she knew, she had woke up at three in the morning, with a blanket draped over her.

"You put a blanket on me," she replied, smiling softly at George, who grinned and nodded. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because I knew how busy you have been lately and that you probably needed your rest," he replied, sitting back down beside her.

"You could have said hi. I've miss you guys," Hermione confessed, blushing.

She felt two arms circle around her, one around her shoulders, the other around her waist.

"We've missed you too, love," George replied, kissing her forehead.

"More then you can imagine," Fred agreed, leaving a matching kiss on the other side of her head.

"But now you can reach us anytime you want to," George said, grinning.

"And if you want to see us, all you'll have to do is ask and we'll be there," Fred added.

Hermione laughed, knowing that they had no problem sneaking around the castle undetected, thanks to their years of help from the Marauders map. "Thanks for this," she replied, holding up the pen once more.

"You're welcome. Actually, this is one of the best ideas we've ever had," Fred replied.

"It's going to make us a ton of money," George added.

"Maybe I should get half of the profit since it bares my name," she teased, causing the twins to grin.

"We'll have to think about that," George said mischievously, standing up from his seat.

"I don't know about you, Forge, but I'm tired of being at work on my day off."

"I agree, Gred. Let's get out of here."

"Where are you taking me now?" Hermione asked worriedly as they each took a hold of one of her hands.

"You'll see," they replied together as they apperated away once more.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The first thing that hit Hermione's senses when the feeling of dizziness escaped her was the warm humid breeze that was not part of the late September weather of home. She opened her eyes and gasped at the scene in front of her. The beautiful rhythm of ocean waves was both visible and audible as she walked forward toward the beautiful blue sea. It was one of those breathtakingly gorgeous days when you could barely tell where the sky started and the water ended.

"I think she's forgotten about us," Came a voice from behind her.

"And I think that she likes the beach better than us, too," someone else replied.

Hermione grinned as she turned to look at the red heads that stood behind her. "I could never forget about you two, Fred," she replied, emphasizing his name as she beamed down to remove one of her wedges. "And George, I do not like the beach more then you," she replied, removing her other wedge and walking towards the water once more, purposefully swaying her hips back and forth rather flirtatiously. Hermione grinned and turned back to the twins, who were standing in the same spot they had arrived, mouths gaping.

"Well, are you two just going to stand there all day or are you going to come play?" she asked them, grinning mischievously as she transfigured her undergarments into a two piece bathing suit before removing her clothes and laying them on the dry sand beside her shoes and the Granger 2000.

"Merlin's Beard," George whispered in awe of the beautiful creature that was grinning widely at them.

"Who knew that Hermione Granger was such a flirtatious little minx?" Fred asked his brother quietly as he began to quickly remove his shoes.

"I believe I told you as much a few years ago, dear brother," George reminded him transforming his own pants into a looks pair of swimming trunks. He had found, over the years, that it was best to wear loose bottoms while around the witch that was in front of him. Especially if she was dress as she was at the moment.

"I guess I should have listened to you," Fred replied, transforming his own pants.

"You two take longer than a girl," Hermione called up to the twins teasingly.

"Oh, do we?" George asked, slowly placing his own set of clothes beside hers.

"Yes, you do," she informed him grinning as she watched the pair behind to walk towards her.

"Well, I suppose we should speed up, shouldn't we George?" Fred asked, half a yard away from the brown haired witch.

"Defiantly, Fred. We don't want to keep the lady waiting," George agreed as both twins began chasing Hermione, who had taken off toward the water a moment before. She squealed happily as a pair of strong arms came around her and picked her up.

"Ms. Granger, you are entirely too dry," George informed her in a very Snape like voice.

"I am?" she asked, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Yes, you are," Fred agreed from a bit deeper into the ocean. Hermione turned and noticed that he was soaked form his head down. Little drops of water were dripping down his Quidditch made chest, making him look extremely sexy. Fred grinned widely when he caught her looking causing her already red cheeks to grow a deeper crimson colour.

Hermione looked up at George's face, seeing that he had caught her starring at his brother. She felt extremely guilty especially since she was currently in George's arms.

To Hermione surprise, George smiled down at her, kissing her gently on the lips, completely catching her off guard.

"Perhaps we should play a game of 'hot witch'," George suggested to his brother.

"How witch?" Hermione asked, just as Fred replied, "Sounds great."

"What's hot witch? I've never heard of that gaaaaa!" she screamed as she felt herself being thrown in the air. She hadn't even noticed that her hands had been removed from George's neck, until she was in the air. Hermione quickly held her breath so that she wouldn't get water up her nose and begin sputtering unattractively in front of the twins. But instead of being thrown into the ocean, she landed gently in the arms of Fred.

"Hello, love," he greeted her, extremely close to her ear, causing her to shiver.

"Hello," she replied, breathlessly. "So this is 'hot witch?'" she asked.

"It is," George answered.

Hermione turned to see that George had gotten himself wet from head to toe as well.

"Yummy," she whispered.

"What did you just say?" Fred asked.

Hermione froze, terrified that she had said that out loud.

"Nothing," she replied, laughing. "Fred, maybe you've already had too much sun if you are hearing things."

"No, I heard it too," George said, coming closer to where Fred was standing with Hermione still in his arms.

"Did you say 'yummy?" Fred asked, grinning widely, much like his twin.

Hermione started trying to wiggle out of Fred's arms, hoping to be able to swim away from the awkwardness, but his arms were securely wrapped around her. "W-w-why would I say that?"

"I don't know," George replied, smiling.

Hermione sighed, knowing that they wouldn't drop it. I faced Bellatrix Lestrange and lived to tell about it. I can handle this, she thought.

"I did say yummy, but it wasn't meant to be said aloud. And I was thinking it because I find you both incredible handsome," she admitted, hiding her face in Fred's chest, extremely embarrassed.

"Hermione, love," Fred said, trying to coax her face away from his chest.

"There's really nothing to be embarrassed about," George said very close to her ear. She felt someone take her hand in his and begin rubbing soothing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. She knew it was George because there was no way that Fred could d that while he was holding her.

"He's right," Fred agreed, kissing the top of her head, making a trail of kisses down past her ears and along her neck line. "I find you extremely yummy, too."

Hermione grinned into his chest, shivering from his kisses.

"Delectable," George supplied, kissing her hand, her wrist and her arm.

"Scrumptious," Fred added, moving Hermione where she would have to move her head to look at him. He leaned down and kissed her gently, causing he to smile into his lips. Why on earth had she been so embarrassed?

"Delicious," George whispered in her ear as he gentle removed her from his twin's arms, kissing her with a bit more passion then he had earlier.

"You make me sound like a Christmas dinner," she laughed, blushing at all of the attention that the twins were showing her.

"You are so much better than any Christmas meal, love," George assured her, stealing one more kiss before placing her gently into the ocean on her own two feet for the first time.

The cool water felt wonderful on her over heated skin, from all of the kissed or just from the sun, she wasn't' sure. At least she wasn't sure until she resurfaced from submerging herself in the refreshing water. Fred and George stood there in front of her, starring hungrily at her. Hermione knew that she had never been more wanted then she was at that moment.

Wanting to lighten things up just a bit, she began to swim, allowing the waves to help her as she swam around the twins.

"You know," she began, after a moment of swimming. "I believe that it would be horrible for your reputation if anyone heard that a woman was swimming circles around you two."

Hermione then splashed both of them before swimming as quickly away from the pair as she could, which wasn't very far. They spent the rest of the day splashing and swimming around, enjoying each other's company.

**So what did you think? I hope you liked it. It was one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far. Please leave a review to let me know what you think. Thanks for much to my beta WannaberelatedtoaGod! You rock. Now please go and push the pretty button below. :) Happy reading.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 19

Hermione quietly walked up the stairs of the girls tower later than she ever had. She could just see the sun begin to announce the new day through her still opened curtain as she walked into the room she shared with Lavender Brown who was snoring loudly from behind her bed curtains. Hermione walked over and closed the window quietly, smiling as she thought about her date with George and Fred. They had stayed at the beach until the moon was high in the sky. It had always been a dream of Hermione's to swim in the ocean at night and Fred had made it happen with George's help. They were starving by the time it had gotten too cold to be in the water. They had thought ahead though and George had pulled out a shrunken muggle cooler, stuffed to the brim with sandwiches, fruit, veggies, cookies and pumpkin juice. Fred had made a fire and they sat in front of it for hours talking and laughing. During a lull in conversation Hermione had started to doze off, her head resting on Georges shoulder, her hand in Fred's hand. The next thing she knew, she was being carried through the corridors of Hogwarts. George and Fred had dropped her off in front of the sleeping Fat Lady, each giving her a wonderful good night kiss.

Hermione side happily as she pulled off her outfit her bathing suit still on, extremely content for the moment. She knew that she had a lot to think about, but for once in her life, she was going to allow herself to enjoy the moment. As she turned to pull back the covers on her bed, she nearly screamed when she noticed a form on her bed, smirking back at her.

"Merlin, Ginny! You scared the stuffing out of me," Hermione exclaimed. She quickly pulled her wand out a cast a muffliato spell around her side of the room, so that Lavender wouldn't wake up and hear the conversation Hermione was sure was about to take place.

"Did I?" the red head asked, still smirking as she sat up from her comfortable spot on Hermione's bed. You could tell that she had been sleeping but had woken up when her friend sighed happily.

"Yes, you did," Hermione replied, taking a seat next to Ginny on her bed.

"Why is your hair damp?" she asked the brown haired witch. "And did you have fun?"

Hermione grinned, turning to look at Ginny."I had so much fun."

Ginny squealed, turning herself much like Hermione had done. "Tell me everything."

"Well first they scared Charlie off and apperated us to the twins shop because they said they wanted to show me something."

"Oh no!" Ginny replied, shaking her head knowingly. It was always a scary thing when the twins wanted to 'show you' something.

"That's what I thought, but then they showed me this," Hermione handed Ginny the pen, which the red head took cautiously, not trusting much of anything her brothers created. She held the object in her hand, turning it over in her hand to examine it more.

"The Granger 2000?" Ginny asked reading the name of the product. Ginny grinned widely. "Did they name this after you?"

"They did. Fred came up with an idea and George helped him. They wanted to create a product that reminded them of me," Hermione told her best friend, grinning.

"That's got to be one of the sweetest things those two have ever done in their entire life," Ginny exclaimed grinning happily for her friend.

"You can explain what it is and how it works later. I want the juicy stuff," Ginny said, setting the pen down.

Hermione laughed and settled down to tell the red head everything that had happened at the beach, up to the point where they had carried her into the castle.

"Wow," Ginny replied, speechless.

"Wow indeed," Hermione agreed dreamily, trying not to yawn. The sun was shining through the curtains just a little bit. She leaned back into her pillows. Ginny leaning back on the pile of blankets at the end of Hermione's bed.

"Who do you like better?" Ginny asked sleepily, burrowing under Hermione's comforter.

"I don't know, Gin. I just don't...know," the brown haired girl slurred as they drifted off to sleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Harry sat on the couch in the common room after breakfast trying to work on his homework, worried about where Ginny and Hermione were. Hermione hadn't shown back up the night before when he had gone to sleep. And Ginny, who usually at least made an appearance at breakfast, was nowhere to be found.

A knock at the portrait door pulled Harry out of his thoughts. He was the only one in the common room, as most people were enjoying the nice sunny day out on the grounds of Hogwarts. He walked over the door and was shocked when he saw none other than Draco Malfoy, looking quite out of place.

"Potter," Draco greeted the boy-who-lived.

"Malfoy," Harry replied, quite stunned to see the Prince of Slytherin standing in the door way of Gryffindor tower. "How can I help you?"

"I was supposed to meet Hermione this morning, but I haven't seen her. I was wondering if she was up here," the blonde answered, feeling odd at asking his onetime enemy for help.

"Actually, I haven't seen her or Ginny this morning," Harry said, starting to worry. Hermione hardly ever missed being somewhere when she said she would.

"Excuse me," a small voice said behind Harry, who was still blocking the portrait door.

"Sorry," he apologised to Olivia, one of Ginny's roommates.

"Oi Olivia?" Harry called after her.

"Yes?" she asked nervously. She was one of the shyest girls in Gryffindor and didn't really like confrontation.

"Have you seen Ginny or Hermione this morning?"

"No, I haven't. Ginny's bed was made when I got up at 7 this morning. I haven't seen Hermione either," the girl answered, before turning to continue on her way.

"Ginny never gets up before 7. Even on class days," Harry informed Draco, as the colour on Harry's face left completely.

"Where could they be?" Draco wondered worriedly.

"I have no clue," the raven haired boy replied. "Why don't you come in and we can think together."

Draco raised an eyebrow, surprised with the invitation. "Sure, alright."

He followed Harry into a very cosy, cheery common room, which had a ton of sun light beaming in through the windows. Just as he was about to take a seat in one of the arm chairs, there was a massive crash that came from the girls tower, followed quickly by two screams.

"That's Ginny!" Harry exclaimed hurrying toward the stairs, wand at the ready.

"And Hermione," Draco replied, following him up the stairs, his own wand also drawn.

When they were half way up the tower, the staircase began shaking as if the stairs were going to collapse. Harry quickly cast a spell that froze the stairs in their place as they continued to run toward the screaming girls.

"Ginny!" Harry screamed as he burst through the door.

What the pair of worried, would be rescuers found when they burst through the door was nothing like what they were expecting.

Ginny was in a heap of blankets and pillows on the floor while Hermione was holding her head, hanging half way off of the bed. Both girls had stopped screaming, but uncontrollable laughter could be heard throughout the tower.

"Harry," Ginny gasped as her fiancée and Draco blast through Hermione's door.

"What are you doing in here?" Hermione asked, surprised, still hanging upside down off of her bed.

"I must say, I've had a few fantasies in my life time, but I never thought that I would see this particular one come true," Draco replied, smirking as he leaned on the door frame. Harry laughed loudly; it was kind of weird that his former enemy had said exactly what he had been thinking.

Ginny fought her way out of the mounds of blankets and stood, walking over to where the boys still stood.

"It's still only in your dreams, Malfoy," she said, causing Draco to chuckle as Ginny kissed her fiancée soundly. "Why are you up here?"

"We heard a loud band and then the two of you screaming," Harry answered.

"So the two of you thought you would run up here and rescue us from whatever it was," Ginny asked smirking. She turned to look at the Slytherin that was in the room. "And why are you in Gryffindor tower?"

"I was supposed to meet Hermione this morning and when I didn't see her at breakfast, I went to the library. When she wasn't there, I walked up here and knocked on the portrait. And Potter here let me in," Draco answered as he turned to look at the object of his affection, who was just standing up right, her hand on her forehead and a blanket wrapped tightly around herself.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I over sleep," Hermione said.

"It's my fault, really," Ginny chimed in, not wanting Draco to know how late she had stayed out with the twins. "We stayed up entirely too late talking about weddings and such."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his fiancée's our right lie, knowing that they had probably been talking about Hermione's date with George and Fred. But he decided not to say anything, wanting details of the date from Ginny later on.

"It's quite alright ladies," Draco assured the two walking toward where Hermione still stood, hand over her forehead. He removed her hand and revealed a massive pop knot on her noggin. "Are you okay?" Draco asked, concerned as he let her to sit down on her bed.

"I think I'm okay. I just have a monster headache," she replied.

"Sit still," he told her, pulling out his wand, muttering a healing spell, which instantly dissolved the knot into a smooth forehead once again. "There. That looks a lot better. Does it feel okay?"

"I still have a slight head ache, but I have a potion that will fix it," she replied, standing to walk to her potions cabinet. As she stood to walk across the room, the blanket she had wrapped around her fell off of her, revealing the bathing suit she had been wearing the day before.

"Merlin's Beard, 'Mione!" Harry exclaimed from the door when he saw the bathing suit.

Hermione turned deep red, quickly leaning over and picking up one of the blankets off of the floor.

Draco had never seen a more beautiful sight then the one that stood before him. He knew she was beautiful, but in that little get up, he thought she was the most breath taking sight he had ever set his eyes on.

"Sorry about that," she said as she grabbed the potion she had been going after.

"Oh, no need to apologise," Draco declared, smirking as she slapped at him playfully.

"I'm sure," Hermione replied.

"Why don't we go downstairs and allow the ladies to get dressed for the day," Harry suggested, not liking the way Draco was ogling Hermione.

"Sounds like a plan," the blond replied reluctantly, enjoying the seat he had there on Hermione's bed. He stood though, waiting to be gentlemen and kissed Hermione gently on the lips before following Harry back down the stairs.

"Merlin, Mione. I thought Draco was about to have to ask to borrow your bathroom, the way his eyes almost popped out of his head."

Hermione blushed, but didn't say anything as she began cleaning up all of the blankets.

"Although his eyes really weren't the only thing getting bigger," Ginny smirked.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing a pillow at the red head, making her laugh.

"Well, I suppose I should go back to my room and try to make myself decent for the day," Ginny said after a few minutes of laughing.

"I think it will take a long time for you to be decent, Ms. Weasley," Hermione replied, grinning at her friend.

Ginny laughed and walked out of Hermione's room, towards her own.

The brown haired which took a quick shower and decided to scrunch her hair into thousands of tiny curls for the day instead of taking the time to dry and straighten it. She had already been late for her day with Draco and she didn't want to keep him waiting for much longer.

As Hermione was placing her wand in her pocket, she felt that the Granger 2000 was warm as her hand had grazed over the device briefly. Smiling, she quickly clicked the pen once and wrote her name as they had instructed her before clicking it four times to read the messages that were waiting for her. Both the 'GrW' and the 'FW' were lit up. Deciding to go alphabetically, Hermione clicked to see what George had to say first.

'Good morning, Love. I hope that you had a good night's rest. I wanted to tell you that I had a wonderful time yesterday. I miss you already.'

Hermione smiled and quickly pushed the red 'FW'.

'Mione, I just wanted to tell you good night. I know that my dreams will be filled with visions of you in the gorgeous bathing suit of yours, running and splashing water in my face and your kisses...there really are no words to describe the way they make me feel about you. I suppose I could quite you though. Yes, 'yummy' very much describes those lips of yours.'

Hermione laughed aloud at Fred's use of the word yummy. It had been one of the best mistakes she had made in a long time, saying what she had been thinking aloud. Sighing, she quickly clicked the pen off and placed it in her pocket, deciding to write them later that evening. She stood and made her way down the stairs, where there was a Slytherin waiting for her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The day had flown by with Draco and Hermione spending the majority of the day under the tree near the front gate of Hogwarts. They planned more aspects of the upcoming 'Once upon all Hallows Eve' ball, but the majority of the day had been spent talking and laughing. And quite a bit of snogging.

"I believe that this has been one of the best Sundays I've ever spent here at Hogwarts," Draco breathed into Hermione's ear. She sat with her back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her.

Hermione sighed happily. "I would have to agree," she replied, turning to smile up at the handsome man that sat behind her.

Draco leaned down and captured her lips with his own. Hermione turned in his arms, to be more comfortable while he deepened the kiss.

"Mr. Malfoy? Ms. Granger?" a voice said, pulling them apart from one another quickly.

"Good afternoon, Professor McGonagall," Draco replied completely at ease with the situation the transfigurations professor had stumbled across.

"Good afternoon," the professor greeted the pair, trying desperately not to grin at the blush that took up the majority of Ms. Granger's face.

"We were just working on more preparations for the ball at the end of the month," Hermione informed her teacher.

"Oh were you?" the professor asked, smiling just a bit. "May I see some of them?"

Hermione nodded, excited to show the headmistress the plans. She pulled out the notebook they had written the majority of their plans and handed it over.

The professor stood and read over some of the material, her face showing no form of emotion. Finally, after what felt like forever to Hermione, the professor looked up and smiled at the pair in front of her.

"You have done a very good job. I would suggest that you set up some committees to help you with some of the aspects of the ball."

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said, beaming at the praise they had just received. "We apologise for not working on this with Charlie around, but we didn't want to disturb his Sunday. We will show him everything we've added the next time we meet," Hermione added.

"Professor Weasley?" the professor asked, sounding quite confused. "Why would you need to show him? I just approved everything."

Draco raised an eyebrow, wondering if a suspicion he had been having was true. "Because he told us that you appointed him the faculty advisor over the balls."

Professor McGonagall's eyes became two sizes bigger than before. "He came to me, asking if I needed one, but I informed him that the two of you were quite capable of planning it all. I told him that it was fine for him to offer his help if you needed it, but I certainly did not appoint Professor Weasley as faculty advisor."

The look on Hermione's face was one that Draco had seen many times over the years and that look had ended with him either being hexed or punched.

"Thank you Professor," Draco replied as he helped the enraged Gryffindor up off of the ground, before leading her toward the lake and away from innocent bystanders.

"Hermione," he said softly, standing in front of her his hands around her own, rubbing soothing circles over the top of her hands.

"He lied to me," she replied angrily, pulling her wand out of her pocket.

"Hermione, love, I know you are angry, but it's against many rules here at Hogwarts to harm a professor," Draco reminded the livid within from of him, even though it went against a small part of him. He would enjoy, just a little bit, seeing Hermione have her wand point at a Weasley.

"I know that, Draco," she replied softly. "Accio Charlie's petition," she said, flicking her wand just right. A few seconds later, the rolled up sheet of parchment flew into her out stretched hand.

"But there's no rule against break up with one," Hermione said sadly, standing on her tip toes to leave a kiss on Draco's cheek.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he offered, seeing how difficult this was going to be for her.

"No, thank you. This is something I need to do on my own," she replied sighing, before turning and making her way towards the hut on the other side of the grounds.

Draco watched as she walked slowly, but with authority away from him. He turned and made his way to Gryffindor tower for the second time that day. She was going to need her friends when she returned to the tower that evening.

**Sorry this took so long! My poor beta was sick! But she better now and here is the chapter. :) Thank you for being an awesome beta. :) I hope you like this chapter. :) Please review...it would make my birthday the best. (Its tommorow by the way in case anyone wants to know. ) Happy Reading.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Harry Potter, the movie Liar, Liar or the movie Pride and Prejudice. **

Chapter 20

"This is ridiculous Hermione," Harry declared suddenly on the first Thursday of October. They were sitting in the Gryffindor common room working on their homework, but Harry wasn't referring to the amount of homework they had been given.

"I would have to agree with you Harry," Ron replied, looking over at his friend in concern.

"Because that's something new," Hermione snapped, throwing her quill down on the table where they say. Sighing, she turned and looked at Ron. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"It's alright, Mione," he assured her, waving it off as if it were no big deal.

"What, exactly, is ridiculous?" the witch wondered.

"This! You snapping every other minute, sighing all the time, not completely here. Hermione, I know that it was difficult for you to tell Charlie that you couldn't accept his petition, but you did the right thing. He's not the guy for you."

"I know that," Hermione replied defensively.

When she had told Charlie that she couldn't hold onto his petition anymore, it was as if he had been expecting it for awhile. He apologized for lying to her and told her that he really did want to be friends especially if she would be marrying one of his brothers. She knew she had done the right thing, but it still hurt. She had really enjoyed the time they had spent together and it had always been difficult for her to break up with someone.

"Then why are you so moody?" Ron blurted out.

"Maybe it's my time of the month," Hermione retaliated back, causing both boys to turn red. After an awkward moment, Harry sighed and covered his friends hand with his own.

"Mione, we just want you to be happy again. You have three guts who want to woo you."

Hermione grinned as Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry's choice of words.

"What? I heard that word on a movie a few years back," Harry replied defensively as his friends laughed.

"You know what I mean though, right Hermione?"

"I do. And I really am sorry that I've been so moody. This whole thing is just stressful and then you add all of the work the professors ate giving out..." she sighed, smiling sadly at her best friends.

"We understand," Ron replied. Hermione raised an eyebrow, not use to him being so caring.

"Since when are you so perceptive and outwardly caring?" she teased, smirking as his face turned bright red. He shrugged in response as if it was no big deal.

"I would say about the same time you started smirking and I started meddling with other peoples lives," Harry replied grinning as he saw his fiancee walking through the common room door.

"Whose life are you meddling with?" she asked cautiously, worried that she knew the answer.

"Yours, of course," Ginny replied as she took a seat on Harry's knee and kissing his forehead affectionately.

"Did you?" Harry wondered.

"Yes."

"Are they?" Ron asked, grinning as he saw a confused look appeared on Hermione's face. That didn't happen often, but when it did he quite enjoyed it.

"Of course they are," his sister confirmed grinning.

"Brilliant," the boys said together, causing Ginny to laugh.

"What the bloody hell are you tree on about?" Hermione demanded, frustrated that they knew something that she did not.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Ginny informed her, pulling out her wand and with one easy wish of her wand all of the parchment and books were placed back in Hermione's knapp sack.

"What did you do that for?" Hermione demanded, growing quite irritated.

"Because you are finished with homework for the evening," Ginny replied.

"I most certainly am not!" she said, glaring at the red head.

"Yes you are. You need to come and change into something more comfortable."

"I'm perfectly fine in my uniform! And why can't I finish my homework?" Hermione asked.

"Because all work and no play makes Hermione a very cranky person," Ron replied, grinning at his cleverness, until he saw the look of fury on Hermione's face and quickly stood up from the table.

"I'm going to go get Luna."

"Probably a good idea," Harry replied, smirking as his friend quickly ran out of the room.

"Come on Hermione. We need to go get ready," Ginny said, grabbing Hermione's hand.

"For what?" the brown haired witch demanded as she allowed Ginny to pull her up the stairs to the room that they now shared. Since Lavender was noe living with her new husband Terry Boot in the new couples section of the castle, Ginny had moved in with Hermione.

"It's a surprise!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly, pulling a pair of muggle jeans out for both of them. She then produced a bright yellow sweater for Hermione to wear with her jeans, while she chose a bright green one.

"Is it a surprise that I'll enjoy?" she asked worriedly, remembering some of the surprises she had experienced over the years with Ginny Weasley.

"Yes, I believe so,"the red head replied, brushing her hair back into a pony tail."I know that I'm looking forward to it."

"You're going to be there?" Hermione wondered, sone of the worry leaving.

"Yes. Harry is too, along with Ron and Luna."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, but said nothing while she pulled on her boots.

"Are you ready?"Ginny asked a few moments later.

"I guess," her friend replied sighing.

"Mione don't be upset. I know that surprises aggravate you some, but I promise you, you'll like it."

Hermione smiled and nodded, not really worried about the surprise, but about the back of a partner. If Harry was going to be with Ginny and Ron had Luna, then she would be the third wheel so to speak. Or in this case, the fifth wheel.

"You ladies look lovely," Harry greeted the pair as they came back into the common room.

"Thank you," Hermione replied, smiling as Ginny gave him a peck on the lips.

"Shall we go?" he asked, offering an arm for both ladies.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked once more.

"You'll see," Ginny grinned as Harry lead them through the halls of Hogwarts. Hermione was certainly glad that she had her sweater on as a cool early October breeze swirled around the trio.

"Brrr!"Ginny complained, holding onto Harry tighter.

"We're almost there" Harry assured his fiancee.

"The Room of Requirements?" Hermione asked, surprised as they stopped in front of a very familiar wall.

"Yes," Harry answered grinning as his best friends face turned into what he and Ron refereed to as her 'thinking face'. Ginny paced in front of the wall three times and a door appeared immediately.

"Ladies first," Harry insisted. Ginny stepped aside, allowing Hermione to enter first. Cautiously, she opened the door and gasped at the scene that stood before her. There was a massive screen that took up an entire wall. In front of it, there were two love seats and a couch with blankets a pillows on all of them. In the back corner of the room, there was a old fashioned muggle popcorn machine on wheels along with tons of various candies both wizarding and muggle varieties.

"Are we going to watch movies?" Hermione asked Ginny excitedly, wondering how in the world they figured out how to play films without electricity.

"We are, love," answered a voice from beside her.

"And you ladies get to chose," an identical voice added.

"Fred! George!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing herself happily into Fred's arms. He grinned, taking in the sweet smell of her shampoo. He could get use to this.

"What about me?" George teased, grinning.

Hermione untangled herself from Fred and did the same thing to George.

Ginny stood to the side, watching the exchange between her brothers and her best friend. She saw no jealousy when she looked into Fred or George's faces as the other gave hugs to Hermione. It was almost as if they were willing to share her with each other. How strange, she thought as Harry's warm hand on her back interrupted her musings.

"We're blocking the door, love," he informed her as Ron and Luna tried to get into the room.

"Oh sorry," she replied, smiling at Luna.

"It's alright," the blonde Ravenclaw insisted moving to stand next to her.

"I'll go get some of the popping corn and candy," Ron told his fiancee, kissing her gently on the forehead before moving across the room to retrieve the snacks.

"They are fascinating to watch," Luna said quietly as the pair of friends watched Hermione with George and Fred. The brilliant witch was standing between the pair her hands in one of each of the twins, as they looked through the movies the room had provided them.

"Have you ever seen anything like that before?" Ginny asked quietly, her brain trying to remember if she had ever read anything about twins sharing a women. There were some weird things that happened in the wizarding world where matters of the heart were concerned.

"I think I've read something in an old family book," Luna replied, smiling as George kissed Hermione's cheek as Fred did the same thing on the other side "But if you like, I'll see if I can get dad to send the book to me."

"It might be a good idea," the red head said.

"So are you ladies going to stand over there gossiping or are you going to help our girl pick out the movie for the evening?" Fred called over to the friends.

"Oi! Hold your broomstick! We're coming!" Ginny exclaimed, walking over to where the two was standing.

The girls looked through the selections and settled on two movies. One was Pride and Prejudice, something the girls had all read and had enjoyed a whole lot. The second movie was an American comedy that they thought the boys would enjoy. It was called 'Liar,Liar' and it was a movie that Hermione had watched once with an American cousin. She remembered the actor being hilarious and she knew that George and Fred would enjoy it.

Hermione sat in the middle of the couch while Ginny and Luna took their seats on their respected love seats. It seems the room accommodated for my boys and I, Hermione observed smiling.

"Here is some popping corn for you, love," George announced, handing her a gigantic bowl of goodness.

"And here is some candy and butter beer," Fred added, sitting down next to her.

"Thank you," she replied happily taking the treats.

"Everyone ready?" Harry asked as he stood by the magical machine the movie was going into.

"I believe so," Ginny answered for everyone.

"Alright, here it goes," he announced, pushing a button, causing the lights to go off a d the movie to project onto the screened wall.

"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed as the opening music started.

"This is brilliant!" George announced.

"How extraordinary," Luna replied dreamily.

"You've never seen a movie before, have you?" Hermione asked.

"No," four of the pureblood wizards answered.

"I watched one with you," Ginny replied, smiling at the memory of going to the theater with Hermione at the beginning of the summer.

"Well, I hope you like it," she said.

"Shhh! I can't hear," Ron complained from his seat next to Luna with his arm around her.

Hermione laughed and sat back to enjoy the Jim Carey movie. The movie did what she had hoped it would do and made het boys laugh hysterically. At one point, when the actor was in an elevator with a lady who was well endowed, George leaned over to Hermione.

" Would you do that to Fred or I if we said something like that to you? He whispered quietly where only the three of them could hear.

"It depends on the situation," she found herself replying, but still blushing the entire time.

"Merlin, women," the twins whispered, immediately turned on by those five simple words. They scooted closer to their witch, putting their arms around her. It took all of their self-control not to song the stuffing out of her, but they didn't, knowing it would embarrass Hermione to no end.

The rest of the movie went by with no issues. All of the young witches and wizards enjoying the entertainment.

"What's next?" Ron asked eagerly,clearly enjoying his first taste of muggle movies.

"Pride and Prejudice," Luna informed him.

"Is that another comedy?" he wondered.

"It can be funny at times," she replied.

"It's a movie based on a book by Jane Austen," Hermione added.

"Is that where you got the name of you owl?" the youngest male Weasley wondered.

"It is. She is my favorite muggle author."

"Shall we start it?" Harry asked, once again standing behind the machine.

"Sounds good," Fred answered scooting even closer to his girl, as did his twin. Hermione smiled and snuggled close to them.

Hermione enjoyed herself totally, loving that George and Fred laughed right along with her when Elizabeth would stand up to Mr. Darcy. At one point, a breeze from the hall came through the room, causing Hermione to shiver. George grabbed one of the blankets and spread it across the three of them, causing Hermione to grin up at him.

"Thanks," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the others.

She suspected that Ron had fallen asleep, but Luna didn't seem to mind. She was playing with his hair.

"Your welcome, love," he replied, leaning down and kissing her cheek.

Hermione smiled and grabbed George's hand, the one that wasn't around her, and squeezed.

They watched quietly as Elizabeth discovered the man that Mr. Darcy truly was. When it came to the part where Mr. Darcy declared his feelings for her the second time, Ginny and Hermione were in tears.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked his girl, concerned with the streams of liquid that was falling from her eyes.

"Shhh!" she told him, not wanting to miss a moment.

'You've bewitched me, body and soul,' Mr. Darcy declared on the screen, causing all three ladies to sigh happily at the romantic words.

George handed Hermione a tissue, which she took gratefully, without taking her eyes off of the last few moments of the movie.

"Brilliant!" Ginny declared when it was over.

"It really was," Hermione agreed.

"It was an acceptable portrayal of the book," Luna said, startling her fiancee awake.

"What? What happened?" he asked, sitting up quickly and looking around the room. "Why is Ginny and Hermione crying? Did you hurt my sister?"

"Calm down you git. The movie made me cry," his sister informed him.

"Oh," was his reply stretching his arms and yawning.

Hermione looked down at her watch, her eyes growing wide in shock. "Oh Merlin! It's really late and we have class in the morning."

Ginny looked at her own watch and sighed, knowing she was right. "I suppose we should be heading back to the tower," she agreed rather reluctantly.

"Come on Luna, I'll walk you back to your house," Ron said, offering his girl his hand to help her up.

"Thanks," she replied, circling her arms around her in a hug. She then turned to George, Fred and Hermione, who hadn't moved a muscle, even though it was Hermione who had noticed the late hour."Have a good night."

"Thank you, Luna," George replied, smiling as they watched the pair exit the room.

"You know, she's really been good for him," Hermione replied laying her head on Fred's shoulder.

"You're right," Fred agreed.

"He's not as big of a hit as he was before Luna," George added, earning a playful slap on his knee form the witch that sat between him and his twin.

"You two never stop, do you?" Harry asked, grinning as he folded some of the blankets with Ginny's help.

"No!"

"Never!"

"And if they did, they wouldn't be George and Fred," Hermione relief, moving her head from Fred's shoulder to George's.

"Who would we be, love?" Fred wondered.

"I don't know, but not my twins," she answered.

Harry raised an eyebrow and was about to comment on Hermione calling them 'my twins', but Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head, silently telling him to leave it be.

"Guys, let me up so we can help clean up," Hermione told the boys.

"No, it's okay, Mione. The room will clean up most of it. I just wanted to clean up a little so the room will allow us to do this again."

"We can help you with that," Hermione insisted, using her wand to clean up some popcorn and candy that was on the floor in front of where Ron had been sitting.

"You would think a two year old was sitting there," George chuckled as he magically emptied the popcorn machine. Hermione laughed, having just thought the same thing.

"That's basically all we can do," Ginny announced a few moments later, seeing that the room was exactly as it had been when they had entered. She walked over to her brothers and hugged them both. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem," George replied.

"We love seeing you," Fred added, squeezing his sister tightly.

"Yes, but I know you enjoy seeing Hermione much more," Ginny said grinning.

"That's not true," Hermione started, but was quickly stopped.

"Our sister speaks the truth, love," George told her, pulling her into a hug.

"We know that she has Harry now to take care of her; to keep her safe and happy," Fred added, moving to stand in front of the girl of his dreams.

Hermione knew that Ginny had probably told them how upset she had been the last few days. She wondered how they would react.

"Well, we are going to head back to the tower," Ginny replied, taking her fiancee hand.

"Don't we need to wait for Hermione, so she doesn't have to walk back alone?" Harry asked, not sure if he liked leaving the girl that was like a sister alone with those two. Especially with the way they were looking at her.

"We will see to it that Hermione gets back to Gryffindor tower," Fred assured him, never taking his eyes off of her.

"You just make sure you get our sister back there," George said never looking away from the girl in his arms.

"Come on, Harry," Ginny whispered, pulling him out the door.

"Whats going on between the three of them?" he asked once they were out of the Room of Requirement.

"I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "But Luna is getting a book that she thinks might help us."

**I hope you like this chapter! Please tell me what you think. It took me forever to write it...it was so difficult. :) But I like how it turned out. I hope you do too. Reviews make me HAPPY! And help me write. Please review. New chapter up soon. :) Happy reading.**


	22. Chapter 22

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 21

"Why have you been so upset this week?" George asked Hermione as he and his twin lead her to sit back down on the couch they had been watching the movie on.

I knew Ginny told them, Hermione thought to herself, sighing. I need to learn to stop wearing my feelings on my shoulder, she scolded herself.

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"Now, none of that," Fred replied, gently holding onto Hermione's chin and turning it where she was looking at him.

"We know that you gave Charlie back his petition," George informed her.

"And we know that since then, you haven't been the same," Fred added.

"Do you love him?" they asked together, quietly.

"What?" Hermione asked, shocked that the two would come to such a conclusion.

"Do you love him?" George repeated.

"Because it would make since for you to be upset about turning him down if you loved him," Fred added.

"I liked him a lot, but I don't think that I loved him. To be honest, I hardly knew him," she answered, truthfully.

"Then why so upset, pretty girl?" Fred wondered, looking down at her frowning face.

"I guess I just felt bad that I gave him back his petition. I know that it was the right thing to do, because he laid to me and I can't be with someone who would do that. But I hated the way he looked when I handed that piece of parchment back to him. I don't want anyone to feel like that," Hermione replied.

"So you feel guilty for doing what you feel was best?" George asked, trying to understand her thinking.

"Yes."

"Mione, that's kind of silly, love," Fred told her.

Hermione looked over at the prankster, to see him grinning down at her. She turned her head to glance at George, who was doing the same. She sighed, knowing that they were right.

"Never feel guilty for doing what you think is best for you," George said, pulling her close to him.

"Especially when it's a git like our big brother," Fred added, laughing.

"He will be fine," George assured her.

"And so will you," Fred said.

"I know," Hermione replied, smiling at the twins. She put her arms around the both of them, pulling them close. "Thanks for making me realize what an idiot I've been for being upset."

"You're not an idiot, love," Fred replied, snuggling close to her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"You just have a really big heart and like to take care of people. And when you decide to do something for yourself, you feel guilty and worry about the other person," George added.

"And you really don't ever worry about yourself," Fred said, looking over at his twin, grinning.

"But that's what you have us for," George grinned mischievously, turning Hermione around in one pull, catching her off guard.

"What are you two doing?" Hermione giggled, as Fred pulled her feet onto his lap, while George moved her to where she was leaning against his chest.

"We are helping you relax," Fred replied as he pulled her boots off and began rubbing her feet.

"And helping you forget about everything but us," George said, massaging her shoulders.

Hermione smiled as she allowed herself to be taken care of by her favourite twins. "This is heavenly. I didn't know you two gave such great massages."

"There are a lot of things that we do well that you don't know about," George whispered in her ear, causing her to shiver and blush furiously.

"But for now, just lean back and relax," Fred replied, grinning. Hermione did just that, leaning into George and closing her eyes, drifting into a wonderful dreamland filled with yummy red headed twins and their heavenly hands.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Good morning," Hermione greeted her friends, Saturday morning. Since the movie night that the group had a few days prior, Hermione had been in a visible better mood. Something that made Ginny extremely happy and a little smug, since it was her idea that brought the smile back to her best friend's face.

"Morning," Ron replied around a mouth full of food. Harry nodded at his friend, not wanting to talk with his mouth full.

"Good morning," Ginny said, grinning. "Are you ready for a fun filled day of dress shopping?"

"Surprisingly so," the brown haired witch replied, grabbing an apple form the fruit bowl.

"Really?" Ginny asked, surprised. "I usually have to drag you out shopping kicking and screaming."

"Well, yes, but this day isn't about me or you even. It's about Luna and her big day. It's about what kind of dress she wants us to where and how we can help her."

"Even if the dresses are hideous and are ridiculous colours?" the red head asked.

Hermione laughed and nodded, sipping from her goblet of pumpkin juice.

Just then they saw Luna skipping between the tables, nearly missing a group of fourth year boys who were reading the Daily Prophet, looking extremely excited.

"Hello, Lover," Luna greeted Ron, grabbing his face and kissing him soundly. Ginny, Hermione and Harry all exchanged amused looks as Ron came up from the kiss, red faced and grinning like a nutter. "Hello, ladies and Harry. Are you ready to go to Hogsmeade?"

"I think we are," Ginny replied, grinning widely as she leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek before grabbing her bag.

"Have a great day," Harry called after the three, who were laughing. He looked over to his oldest friend and saw that he still had that grin plastered across his face as he watched his fiancée walk out of the Great Hall. Harry reached over and slapped Ron's arm, causing him to fall in his plate full of pancakes, which were covered with syrup. Harry laughed hysterically as the red head turned and gave him a murderous look.

"What. The. Bloody. Hell. Was. That. For," Ron wondered, angrily. He slowly grabbed his wand and started to try and clean himself off. Harry quickly got up from his seat and started walking toward the door.

"To get that grin off your face, you nutter," Harry called over his shoulder as he ran out of the room, knowing that Ron was right behind him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by your finally pick, Luna," Hermione replied later on that day as the girls walked slowly back up to the castle.

"You thought that I was going to pick something hideous and loud," Luna said, smiling at her friends knowingly.

"Well, if we are honest, yes we did," Ginny answered, looking rather guilty. Luna laughed at her future sister-in-law, hooking her arm with both of the ladies.

"It's okay to be honest. I like weird things, it's common knowledge. But this wedding isn't all about me. It's about Ron and I, and the family that we will be building. Merlin bless him, but Ron really wouldn't care if you walked down in barrels or if I was one big radish. He just wants to marry me. But I know that Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be thrilled and honestly, I don't care who wears what. I just want to be married to him," Luna explained, smiling brightly at her friends, who had stopped somewhere in the middle of her explanation.

"You really love him, don't you?" Ginny asked, sounding completely surprised.

"I do. I really, really do. I've loved him for years, but I always thought he would end up with Hermione, so I didn't say anything."

"Bloody hell," Hermione whispered, causing Luna and Ginny to laugh loudly.

"She's been around you Weasleys too much," Luna grinned, as they walked through the gates of their school.

"I think it's a good thing," Hermione said, unashamed.

Ginny grinned slyly. "Of course you do. It's rather interesting that two times this year, you've been carried back to Gryffindor tower by my brothers well after curfew."

Hermione blushed, causing Luna and Ginny to cackle loudly as they walked through the door of the castle.

"You two sound really evil," a familiar voice said from the top of the staircase.

"They are, they really, really are," Hermione declared as Harry and Ron walked down to meet the girls.

Harry gathered Ginny up in his arms, kissing her. "Did you have fun shopping?"

"We did," she replied, smiling up at him.

"Can I see the dresses?" Ron asked Luna, who was looking up at him rather dreamily from the safety of his arms.

"No, lover. They are still at the shop, getting all of the measurements just right," she answered, standing up on her tip toes and kissing the tip of his nose.

"Where were you two off to?" Hermione wondered.

"Dinner," Ron answered.

"Is it that late, already?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, you girls were out too long," Harry complained, pushing his lip out at her, causing the girls to laugh. The group walked into the Great Hall for dinner, Luna deciding to sit at the Gryffindor table for the meal.

"Will you pass the rolls, Ron?" Hermione asked, looking over at the red head, who had a drumstick in one hand and a fork full of potatoes in the other.

"Here you go," Luna said, passing the basket over to her friend. She grinned at her fiancée and shook her head, knowing that he would never change where table matters were concerned. And she was okay with that.

"Thanks."

"Hermione, have you finished that..." Harry started but was interrupted when an enormous hawk flew into the hall, landing in front of where Hermione was sitting.

Curiously, she untied the piece of parchment from the hawk, which flew quickly away. Hermione didn't notice though, because she had already dropped the piece of paper on her plate in shock.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Harry demanded, placing his hand on hers. She was shaking, in pure shock, something that didn't happen to his friend often.

Ginny picked up the piece of parchment off of her plate and began reading, her eyes getting wider and wider as she read the paper. "Wow."

"Wow? What wow? What's going on?' Ron wondered.

"Hermione has another petition."

**So what do you think? I hope you like it. :) Tell me what you think. Thanks so much to my beta, Caelinn. :) You rock. Please review and tell me what you think. Happy Reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 22

Draco Malfoy sat at his normal seat at the Slytherin table at dinner, musing about the last week. When he and Hermione had been sitting under the tree the previous Sunday, he had felt like they had grown extremely close. Then McGonagall had come over and Hermione had found out about the stupid git and his lie. Since then, Draco hadn't had a moment alone with the beautiful Gryffindor. And that irritated him to know end. He was use to getting what he wanted, when he wanted it and he defiantly wanted Hermione Granger.

"What's got your broom in a twist?" Blaise asked his best friend after the blonde had sighed for the fourth time since sitting down for dinner.

"Nothing," Draco declared, stabbing forcefully at the piece of pork that was on his plate.  
Blaise smirked, knowing exactly what was wrong. "Still not get her alone?"

"No," he admitted reluctantly, really not wanting to admit it. He wasn't in the mood to be the brunt of any teasing.

"You'll figure something out," Blaise replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "You're Draco Malfoy."

The blonde smirked, appreciating his friend's confidence. He instinctively looked over to the Gryffindor table to see the object of his affection taking her seat. She was grinning widely as she talked with her friends; looking happier then she had looked at the beginning of the week. It made his heart skip a beat, seeing her so happy. I wish I had been the one to make her that happy, he found himself thinking.

Just then, before he could scold himself for thinking such things, a gigantic hawk flew into the Hall, landing in front of Hermione.

"Who do you suppose would have a bird like that?" Blaise wondered, watching as she untied the piece of parchment.

"I have a suspicion," Draco muttered, extremely angry. If what he had over heard some fourth and fifth years talking about earlier in the day was true, then he had a much bigger wizard to worry about than some Weasleys. He now had some major competition.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I must have heard you wrong. I thought I just heard you say that Hermione has another petition," Ron said to his sister.

"No, you heard me just fine, Ronald. This is another petition," Ginny informed him.

"Bloody hell," the red headed man breathed, looking over at his still shocked best friend.

"Who's left to petition her?" Harry demanded, extremely irritated. He knew that Hermione was already a mess, not wanting to hurt anyone as she made her decision. It had been extremely difficult for her to give Charlie back his petition and they had hardly known one another. As she was growing closer to the twins and Malfoy, he knew it would just get harder for her. And now, this man had decided to throw her another option! He had half a mind to go and give this wizard a piece of his mind.

Ginny looked over at Hermione, who still sat in a state of shock. It wasn't her information to pass on, so she shook her head at Harry, trying to get him to calm down and give Hermione time to process. The boy who lived, however, wasn't so patient.

"Mione, whose it from?" he asked, a little more calmly.

Hermione looked up at Harry, then over to Ron, Luna, and finely over at Ginny, who smiled at her and handed back the piece of paper. Sitting here, dumb struck is not going to change the fact that you got another petition, she told herself as she took a deep breath to steady herself. She then looked over at Harry and answered with one word.

"Viktor."

"Bloody hell!" Luna exclaimed in a very non-Luna like way. Ron raised an eyebrow at his fiancée, smirking as she shrugged her shoulders. "That one surprised me, that's all."

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked, gently, knowing that her feelings were all over the place. She remembered back in her own third year when Viktor had first showed interest in Hermione and asked her to the Yule Ball. She had been shocked when the most gorgeous boy ever had asked her, the book worm. Ginny remembered how Hermione had twirled around and around in her dress when she and Ginny had turned up in the common room around the same time that night and how happy she had been. She remembered how Hermione had told her at the beginning of the next school year that she had spent a week with Viktor and his family and how he told her he loved her, about how he called her 'my princess'. But most of all, Ginny remembered that Christmas, when Hermione had cried on her shoulder when Viktor wrote and told her that he couldn't be with her any longer, because he needed to focus on Quidditch. She knew that he had been her first love and it was difficult to forget about your first love.

"I honestly don't know," she answered, looking at Ginny with wide eyes, silently trying to ask her what she should do. Other than her parents, who would no longer have anything to do with her anymore, Ginny was the only one who knew how close she had been with Viktor. She hadn't told Harry or Ron, because she knew they would make a big deal and threaten to hurt him if he ever hurt her. And he had hurt her, but she understood that his work had to come first. Viktor had told her several times that he wanted to make his own way in the world and not depend on his parent's wealth. That was one of the things that she had loved most about him. For a long time after he had sent her the letter, she often found herself wishing for just one more hug and one more kiss. She promised herself that if he ever wanted her again, that he would give him another chance. She knew that a lot of people would be shocked that such an independent woman would run back to the man who had left her, but he was her first love. He was the first guy that saw her as a girl and not just a know it all. It meant a lot to Hermione then. It still meant a lot to her.

"Have you even talked to him lately?" Ron wondered.

"And why is he sending out petitions? He's not even in England and I know that the Bulgaria ministry didn't pass a marriage law," Harry said, not liking the look that was on his best friends face. It was the same look she had worn the latter part of their fourth year and the first part of their fifth. He had been too busy with his own issues back then to wonder what it was about, but now that he saw it on her face moments after the letter from Viktor, he knew it had been something to do with the Quidditch star.

"Actually, he was traded to the National team here in England. The trade went through late last night," Neville Longbottom informed the group of friends. He had been sitting close to them and couldn't help but over hear the conversation.

"What?" Ron exclaimed.

"That cannot be true," Ginny insisted.

"But why would the Bulgarian team trade him?" Harry wondered. "He's been their star for years and he's getting better every year."

"They didn't want to trade him," Neville replied, pulling out his copy of the Daily Prophet from his knap-sack, handing it over to the group.

Hermione snatched the paper up before anyone else had the chance. There on the front page was a picture of the man she hadn't seen in three years, shaking hands with the owner and the coach for the National team. He hadn't change a lot in those years. He was still one of the most handsome men she had ever laid eyes on.

"He's still gorgeous," Luna observed, earning a look from Ron. "He's not my type, Lover. I'm just stating a fact."

"He asked to be traded to the National team!" Harry exclaimed, shocked.

"'When asked why he wanted to be traded, the star Quidditch player replied, 'I have always loved this country. When I was here for the Tri Wizard tournament, I didn't want to leave. I left a part of my heart here and I hope to get it back, now that I have the chance.' When asked if he was aware of the Marriage Law that had recently passed and if he understood that he would be required to find a wife soon, the Quidditch star shared a grin with the reporters, something that was extremely different for him. 'I am aware and I am looking forward to seeing my princess.'" Harry read aloud.

Ginny and Hermione gasped at hearing the phrase 'my princess.' Hermione looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Bloody hell," Ginny whispered.

"What? What aren't you telling us?" Harry wondered.

Hermione looked at Ginny and nodded, silently telling her to tell them.

"He asked to be traded so that he would have to be a part of the Marriage Law," Ginny started.

"Why would he do a crazy thing like that?" Ron asked. Harry's eyes widened, finally realizing what was going on.

"He moved here to be with Hermione," the Boy Whole Lived said, shocked.

"How do you know that?" Ron wondered. "There could be someone else here that he wants to be with. Or maybe he really does like the National team."

"I'm his princess," Hermione said quietly, looking down at the picture of Viktor. He had moved away from his home, away from his family, for a chance to be with her? It couldn't be.

"That was his name for you," Luna replied, understanding written all over her face.

"Yes," the brown haired witch answered.

"You dated him, after he left, didn't you?" Harry asked quietly. Hermione nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ron wondered. He felt a little hurt that he hadn't known that she had been with the star Quidditch player longer then what they had known.

"Because it was none of your business, Ronald," Ginny answered, putting her hands on her hips in a very Mrs. Weasley type way.

"We are her best friends, of course it was our business," Ron insisted.

"There was so much going on at that time," Hermione explained quietly. "I didn't want to burden you two with something else."

Harry sighed and shook his head, annoyed with himself. "I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could talk with us about this."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago," she replied.

"You loved him," Ron suddenly exclaimed, earning a few glances from other tables.

"Could you be a little louder, Ronald," Ginny hissed at her brother.

"Are you going to give him a chance?" Harry asked.

Hermione looked at her two oldest friends wanting to answer them, but honestly not knowing. She stood from the table; her food barely touched, and grabbed her purse.

"I can't answer you now," was her reply. She needed to think and she couldn't do it here with everyone looking at her. There was one place that always cleared her mind, one place that she could always think.

"I'm going to the library."

**SO what do you think? I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think. Reviews help me along. Thanks to my beta Just Being Sirus, for getting this back to me so quickly. :) Happy Reading. **


	24. Chapter 24

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 23

"Fred, would you be a dear and grab some plates out of cabinet?" Molly Weasley asked her son. It was the weekly Sunday dinner at the Weasley house and the twins had offered to help their mother in the kitchen. It didn't happen often, the twins offering their help, so Molly wasn't going to turn it down. Plus, she could tell that her sons had something on their minds, or rather someone. She knew that they would talk; she just needed to keep them busy and it would spill out. Most of her children were like that.

"Sure, Mum," he replied, levitating the dishes to the table.

"George, don't forget to stir that, or it will stick," Molly reminded her son. She watched as he stood there, looking into the pot of boiling noodles, not moving at all. "George!"

"Yes, mum?" he asked, quickly picking up the spoon and giving the noodles a good stir.

"Where were you just now?" she asked, concerned.

Fred laughed loudly. "Merlin, women. I think you need to rest for a moment. He's been standing there this whole time."

Mrs Weasley quickly shut her son up, by merely glaring at him. "You know exactly what I mean. Both of you have been deep in thought, which is not like you at all."

"I didn't know that you thought we were so stupid, Mum. We're not Ron," George replied, pretending to sound hurt.

Sighing, she turned to the oven, to pull out the fresh bread that was done. "Always joking. Even when your mum is only trying to check on you. I worry about you so much! But that's alright, if you don't want to tell me what's wrong, I understand." Mrs. Weasley pulled out a hankie from her apron pocket, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

Fred and George exchanged a look, knowing exactly what their mother was doing. She was no more crying then good old Voldemort wore a pink tutu, but they could never hold anything from her when she did it. They hated to see her cry, even when it was fake. George nodded at his twin, telling him to start.

"Mum, don't cry. We are just confused on something that's all."

"And we don't know where to go for answers or what to do about it," George added.

Molly smiled, knowing all that they had needed was a good push from her to open up. She quickly turned to where the food was nearly finished and placed a warming spell on it. She then summoned three cups and the tea kettle, pouring them each a nice, warm cup. "Let's have a cup of tea and you can tell me all about it."

The twins did as they were instructed, always loving a good cup of tea prepared by their mother.

"Thanks mum," they chorused together.

"Now, what's been bothering you? Tell me all about it. Surely I can help," Mrs. Weasley replied, leaning back in her seat to listen.

"Well, it has to do with Hermione," Fred started.

"And we don't know what to do about it," George added.

"You both love her and don't know how your relationship with each other when she picks one of you over the other?" their mother asked, sure that was what the problem was.

The twins exchanged a look, having another one of the silent conversations.

"Is that not it?" she wondered, suddenly concerned. She had no clue what else could be causing her sons to be so distracted where Hermione was concerned if it wasn't that.

"No, not really, Mum," George replied, nervous about what they were about to tell their mother. He wasn't one who became nervous easily, but he really didn't want his mother to think he was weird. Well, not more then she already did.

"Then what is it?" their mother practically demanded.

"Well, we think we..." Fred stared but was interrupted by Pig, Ron's bird flying through the opened window and landing in between him and George. The envelope had both of their names written on the envelope. Curious, Fred quickly opened the letter, wondering what their baby brother would be writing them about.

George and Fred,

Thought you would like to know that you have more competition. And he's a lot better than bloody Malfoy.

Ron

George and Fred quickly got up from the seats, quickly heading out the door.

"Wait! Where are you going? What's wrong?" Molly exclaimed, quickly following hers sons out the back door.

"No time to talk," Fred replied, dropping the letter on the ground, so their mother wouldn't worry too much. Reaching the edge of the wards, the twins quickly apparated away.

Molly reached down and picked up the letter, quickly reading it.

"Oh dear."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione sighed as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She had been sitting in her favorite chair in the back of the library for hours, trying to decide what to do.

She had loved Viktor for so long. Yes, she may have been extremely young when she had fallen for the handsome Quidditch star, but she knew that she had loved him. But, he had picked his career over her. She completely understood his decision; she would probably have done the same thing. It didn't mean that he wouldn't do the same thing if they were to get married. Sure, there was not divorce in the wizarding world, once you were married, it was forever. But he could distance himself from her, choosing to spend all his time at the team's facility training. She didn't want a marriage like that.

But what's to say he WOULD do that, a voice in her head argued. He did come all the way to England, leaving everything he had built behind, just to have a shot at being with you, the voice continued.

But did he write you, explaining why he petitioned you, another voice that sounded strangely like Ginny's asked. No he just sent you a generic form, with the names filled in at the appropriate spot. He just assumes you've been waiting here for him.

You don't know that, the original voice argued. It's rather romantic. He has always been a man of few words. He took the time to fill out the form correctly. That has to count for something!

The second voice laughed bitterly. It didn't even look like his hand writing!

"Enough!" Hermione finally exclaimed aloud. She was getting a head ache from the back and forth argument that was going on in her head. Placing her head in her hands, she sighed, realizing that she wasn't going to be able to make her decision tonight. She really didn't need to, since she still had a while to think. She just didn't like to leave something like this undecided. Gathering her purse, she quickly walked out of the library, heading back to Gryffindor tower. Maybe Ginny would have an idea on what she should do. Ginny was usually a brilliant person to talk to about matters of the heart.

As she stepped off the final staircase, nearly to the portrait of the Fat Lady, she was suddenly pulled into a passage that she had never seen before.

"What in the name of Merlin," Hermione started, but was quickly shut up by a pair of soft lips capturing her mouth. She gasped, not at all prepared for the intensity that her mystery capturer possessed. His hands were everywhere and when she opened her eyes to see who her would be attacker was, she relaxed knowing that frame anywhere. Not one to have ideal hands, she quickly encircled his neck with her arms, running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. He shivered, causing Hermione to smile into the kiss, enjoying that she could cause the kind of reaction. She was lost in the moment, not caring about any of her previous worries or concerns.

Hermione gasped when she was swiftly turned around, her body pulled close to the gorgeous man behind her, when another pair of lips captured her in another mind blowing kiss. She moaned into the kiss as she played with extremely sensitive tip of his only ear, knowing he loved when she did that. He shivered and let out an almost primitive growl, pulling her closer to him. She felt as if she was going to lose all control if she didn't pull away soon. Their hands were everywhere, causing normal thought to become almost none existent. Placing her hands on his chest, she gently pushed.

"George. Fred," she panted, in despite need of air.

"Yes, Love?" Fred replied, his voice a few octaves deeper than normal. He was gently trailing kisses from the top of her ear to her neck, causing her to momentarily forget everything.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione finally managed to ask.

"We just came to see you," George answered, running his hands gently through her unruly curls.

"And to kiss you," Fred added, continuing his kisses around the back of her neck. Hermione sucked in a breath, trying not to moan. Merlin help her, but their hands and lips were bloody amazing.

"You just saw me a few days ago," was her brilliant reply. Her mind was not working at the moment, completely fogged by the Weasley twins and their kisses. She had to take a step away for them both, if she was going to put together an intelligent sentence. She took a step deeper into the passage in her attempt to escape their strong arms.

"Yes, we did," Fred agreed, smiling.

"But, if we are honest, that's simply not enough," George replied, grinning widely at Hermione. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were a mess, but he had never seen such a gorgeous sight.

"And we are always honest," Fred added.

"Yes, well," she replied, cursing herself for not being able to put together a sentence. She looked around the passage, seeing an old couch and a few chairs. "What is this place?"

"It's where we used to come to brew up some of our products while we were in school," George answered.

"I never knew this passage was here," Hermione stated, looking up at the ceiling to see several black marks, where she was sure some of their creations exploded.

"Not many people do," Fred replied.

"It's not even on the Marauder's Map," George added, grinning widely.

"How is it not on the map?" she wondered, taking a seat in on one of the chairs. She wasn't going to risk sitting on the couch, knowing the twins would ambush her again with their magical lips and hands.

"We could tell you," George started.

"But we would have to keep you," Fred finished, grinning widely.

"Forever and ever," his twin added.

"And never let you go."

Hermione shivered at their words. She wasn't afraid of them, not at all. At the moment though, she really couldn't think of a reason not to let them keep her, forever and ever.

"I'm sure I could get it out of you somehow," she found herself saying.

George and Fred exchanged a glance, grinning widely, before slowly making their way toward the gorgeous book worm that was sitting in front them.

Shaking her head, she quickly stood and stepped around them, before they knew that she was doing. With one hand on the door, she sighed.

"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Why are you sorry?" George wondered, frowning slightly.

"You have nothing to apologize for, love," Fred assured her.

"I just...there's some things that happened today that I'm completely confused about. I don't know how to handle it or anything at the moment and then you pull me in here and snog me like I've never been snogged before! I know how I feel and it's confusing and completely mental and..." Hermione couldn't hold in the tears that had been threatening to escape since the moment Viktor's petition landed in front of her. All of the hurt she had felt from him ignoring her for so many years, all of the dread she felt when she heard about the marriage law, and all of the feelings that she had for Draco and the twins, just came flooding out of her. She sobbed like she never sobbed before.

George and Fred quickly made their way over to the girl they were both completely in love with and picked her up, caring her over to the couch. They set her between them and just held her while all of the pent up emotions came flooding out.

"I'm so sorry about that," Hermione whispered, wiping her eyes with the tissue George had handed her.

"You have nothing to apologise for, love," Fred said for the second time that evening.

"It wasn't fair of me to break down like that in front of you," she replied quietly.

"Mione, you can break down like that in front of me anytime you need to. I'll be right here, anytime you need me," George promised, kissing her gently on the top of her head. Fred nodded, agreeing with every word that his brother had just said.

Hermione smiled, grateful for the two men that sat beside her. It was unfair for them not to know why she had broken down. "I'm sure you would like to know why I feel so confused."

"We would if you want to tell us," Fred replied.

"I want to tell you."

"Then, we are listening," George said.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione started from the beginning. She told them everything. She told them how she felt Viktor asked her to the Yule Ball all those years before. She told them about the wonderful time she had spent with him and his family the summer before her fifth year and how he had told her he loved her. And she told them that he had broken up with her, taking a piece of her heart with him, that had only recently begun to heal itself.

"I think when I received his petition, the walls that I had placed around my heart where he was concerned, just crumbled down, bringing that hurt to the surface again," she admitted. She looked at each of the twins, observing their faces to see if she could figure out what they were thinking. George looked a little angry, while Fred had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I'm sorry if this upset you. It really helps being able to talk about all of this. I haven't told anyone, other then Ginny about how hurt I was. I only told her, because she basically made me."

"I'm not upset, love," Fred quickly assured her, bringing the hand that he had been holding up to his lips and placing a gently kiss on it.

"Not at all. Well, not at you at least," George added, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I think we would both like to have a word or two with Mr. Krum, though," Fred admitted.

Hermione smiled and kissed both of them on the cheek. "Thank you for the thought, but I think that I need to deal with him myself."

"Do you know what you are going to do?" George asked quietly.

"I think I do," she replied, taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. Fred looked at George over Hermione's head, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you feel like sharing with the rest of the class?" Fred finally asked, causing Hermione to chuckle.

"Not until I'm completely sure. I don't want to say that I'm going to do something and then not do it. I don't want to become a liar," she replied.

"I can respect that," George smiled, pulling her closer to him. He began running his hands through her hair once again, causing her to close her eyes and smile.

"I believe that we need to get some of this tension out of our Hermione," Fred grinned, leaning toward the witch that was resting against his brother.

"I would have to agree with you, dear brother," George replied, leaning down and gently kissing her ear. Hermione moaned, completely enjoying the attention she was receiving once again. Fred captured her mouth with his, grinning as he felt her practically purring in between them. Hermione brought her right hand up to Fred's head, running her hands through his soft hair. She brought her left hand down to George's knee, running her hand down his leg, not wanting to leave anyone out.

Just as things were about to go further then she had ever gone with anyone, her pocket became extremely hot. Surprised, she gasped, gently pushing Fred off of her.

"What's wrong?" George asked.

"I think Ginny is trying to get a hold of me," Hermione replied, pulling the Granger 2000 out of her pocket.

"I knew we shouldn't have given that thing to her," Fred grumbled from his side of the couch. George nodded his agreement, while Hermione opened the note from her friend.

Hermione,

Where are you? Professor McGonagall is looking for you. I told her you were taking a bath and you would be to see her in just a few moments. That was forty-five minutes ago. If you don't answer me, I'm going to hex you into next year. I'm worried!

Hermione chuckled and quickly wrote a reply back.

Ginny,

I'm fine. What does she want, do you know?

Hermione,

No, I don't know, but if you don't go see her soon, I wouldn't put it past her to put a locating charm out for you. She seemed rather...excited? Nervous? I don't know. It's hard to read that woman sometimes. Where are you?

Ginny,

I honestly don't know where I am.

"Oooops!" Hermione exclaimed when she accidentally pushed the send button before she was finished. George and Fred grinned, knowing their little sister's reaction would be priceless.

WHAT! What do you mean you don't know where you are? Harry and I are on our way out of the Common room to come and find you. Are you hurt? Oh, Harry just found you on the map. How are you in the wall?

Hermione looked at the twins and shook her head. "I have to go."

"We know," they said in unison. They walked her to the beginning of the passage, each taking their turn kissing her good bye. George took his wand out and tapped it against the wall three times.

"I'll miss you," she said before exiting the passage.

**So what did you think? Please, Please, Please, review. I'm having some writers block and its hard to write when that's going on. Add trying to look for a job on top of that and its a bugger and a half. :) I hope you liked it. Please review. Thanks to my beta Just Being Sirius! Happy Reading.**


	25. Chapter 25

**I own nothing. I wish I owned just 1/2 of a percent after this weekend in the box office though. :) **

Chapter 24

Hermione walked quickly down the quite corridor towards Professor McGonagall office, not wanting to keep the headmistress waiting any longer. After exiting the passage, she ran into Harry and Ginny. Literally.

"Oi!" Harry exclaimed, pulling his wand out quickly.

"Calm down, Harry. It's Hermione." Ginny said, placing a calming hand on his arm.

"Sorry about that," the brown haired witch apologizes.

"How did you come out of the wall?" Harry wondered.

"I honestly have no clue," his best friend answered, looking down at her clothes, noticing how wrinkled and messed up her clothes. Blushing furiously, she quickly fixed herself, trying to notice the smirk on Ginny's face or the frown on Harry's.

"I believe you said that Professor McGonagall was looking for me?" Hermione asked, wanting to move their attention away from her and the state she had been in a moment before.

"Yes, she came in looking for you," Ginny replied, grinning.

Hermione knew that she wasn't going to bed before she told the female Weasley what she had been up to.

"I shouldn't keep her waiting any longer then."

"Do you need us to come with you?" Harry asked, his big brother like instincts kicking in.

Hermione smiled. "No, I think I can manage. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She quickly came to the entrance of the professor's office. After quietly saying the password, the door opened, revealing the staircase that lead up to her quarters and office. Before Hermione could bring her hand up to knock on the door, she heard her favourite professor calling for her to enter.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Professor," Hermione apologized, taking a seat.

"That's alright, dear," the older witch replied, smiling at her fondly. "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh, no thank you," Hermione replied politely. She just wanted to find out what was wrong and get back to her dorm and ask Ginny if she thought her decision was a good one.

"Alright." Professor McGonagall said. "I suppose you would like to know why I called you here this evening." Hermione nodded, waiting for the professor to continue.

"Late this afternoon, I received a very unusual letter. It was from the owner of The National Quidditch team. We went to Hogwarts together years ago, but we were never very good friends. I'm sure you can understand why it was a bit of a shock."

Hermione nodded, wondering why this mysterious letter from an old class mate of the professor had anything to do with her.

"He told me of an issue that one of his players was having and was wondering if I could be of some assistance," McGonagall continued, watching Hermione's reaction closely.

Realization dawned on the Gryffindors face, her eyes practically bulging out of her head. This has to do with Viktor, she thought.

"He said that a player that he had been trying to acquirer for years, finally agreed to come play for him. The only reason that the man decided to come to England, however, was because of the marriage law. He wants to get back the girl he lost years ago."

Hermione gasped, and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. She had no clue why she had gasped; she already knew that she was the reason that he decided to come to England. Maybe it was the fact that he actually admitted it to the owner if his new team; she just wasn't sure.

"What kind of assistance is he asking from you, Professor?" she asked quietly.

Minerva smiled at one of her favorite students. "He asked if I might be willing to help Mr. Krum win you back, give you a few words of encouragement," the transfigurations teacher chuckled.

Hermione grinned slightly. "And what did you tell him?"

A full out grin covered the older witches face. "I told him to mind his own business and let the young man do what he came here to do."

Hermione laughed, knowing that the Professor probably had quite a few more colorful words for the man. "Thank you for telling me, Professor."

"Your quite welcome, Ms. Granger," McGonagall started, but paused, hesitant to say anything else.

"Is there something more?" Hermione wondered.

"He sent back a second owl, asking if I would be willing to allow Viktor the use of my fireplace to Floo and see you tomorrow."

Hermione's eyes widened, shocked. "But we have class tomorrow," was her brilliant response.

Minerva couldn't help herself. She laughed full out, shaking her head at the brilliant witch in front of her. "Only you would be worried about your studies at a moment like this. Most girls your age would be beside themselves, trying to figure out what set of robes to wear. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you. If they would worry more about their studies the boys, the Wizarding world word is advanced by years."

Hermione shook her head, not real offended by being laughed at by the professor. She knew she would be getting the same reaction from Ginny in a few moments. At least the witch in front of her understood and appreciated her love of learning.

"Professor, what did you say?"

Minerva smiled kindly at the young witch, knowing that she was falling for more than one wizard at the moment. "I said that the Floo would be opened for him between the hours of 5:30 and 6:30 tomorrow evening. If you chose to see him and talk with him, then he could stay longer. If you chose not to talk with him, that I would ask him to leave immediately and if he did not, I would have no trouble escorting him out of Hogwarts. I have a feeling that I would some help in that matter," she grinned.

Hermione smiled weakly back at her, knowing that Draco would be none too thrilled when he found out about the petition from Viktor. And that if given the chance, he would be happy to help escort Viktor out of the castle.

"Is there anything else, Professor?" she asked.

"No, I think I've given you enough to think about for the evening," she replied.

Hermione stood, moving toward the office door.

"Oh, and Hermione," McGonagall called to her.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Don't over think this. Just follow you heart, dear."

Hermione looked at the witch behind the desk, shocked that she had just been given advice from the Headmistress. That wasn't something that Minerva was known for; it had been Albus who had given advice even when it wasn't asked for.

The young witch smiled and thanked the older women, before turning and making her way back to Gryffindor tower.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ginny laughed hysterically, just as Hermione expect she would, later that evening in their shared room. When she had walked into the crowded Common room, Harry and Ginny had bombarded her with questions. Suddenly very tired, Hermione had vaguely told them the just of what the Professor had wanted and had quickly excused her to go and have a nice long bath.

But after having her relaxing half hour, she walked back into her room to find Ginny sitting on her own bed, facing their shared bathroom.

"Spill," Ginny had instructed as soon as she had stepped one toe back into their room.

And she did. She told her everything, from when she left the Great Hall, to when she had been ambushed by the twins.

"By the way," Hermione started, after telling Ginny about being pulled into 'the wall'. "Did you tell them that Viktor petitioned me? I know that's why they came, even if they didn't say so."

Ginny shook her head, grinning. "I didn't tell them, but I think Ron might have. I saw him send Pig out of the Common room window right after I got back to the Tower."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. He was turning into a really big gossip king. She continued her story, leaving out only the parts that included the intense snogging. She didn't think Ginny would want to hear about it.

"Are you going to talk with him tomorrow?" Ginny asked when she was finished with her story.

Hermione sighed as she pulled her covers down. When she had been with George and Fred earlier in the evening, she thought she had known what she was going to do about Viktor. Now she wasn't so sure. "I'm honestly not sure."

Ginny nodded, understanding the dilemma her friend had.

"I think I'll sleep on it," Hermione decided, pulling the covers up over herself.

"That's not a bad idea. If you decide to talk with him, I'll be there with you if you'd like," Ginny offered.

Hermione smiled over at her best girlfriend. "Thanks. I might just take you up on that." Picking up her wand off of the bedside table she turned the lights off, hoping that she would what to do in the morning.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

In a newly furnished apartment, in the Wizarding area of London, a young wizard sat, pondering what was sure to be a difficult conversation the next day. He had been upset when he had first heard that the owner of his new team had contacted the head mistress of Hogwarts for help with his petition of Hermione. He didn't need any help. He was a Krum, after all and they were very determined individuals. When they set out to get something done, they didn't stop until it was complete.

Viktor smiled as he took a sip of his Butter beer, thinking about seeing his princess the following day. He was happy that had been arranged for him. He hadn't been sure how he would be able to see her, since she was completing her education. When he had sent her petition, he had chosen not to send her letter. He wanted to speak with her in person. He knew that he had hurt her deeply. Irina, his baby sister, had confirmed as much. He knew that it could be difficult to win her trust back. Difficult, not impossible. He knew she still loved him, as he did her.

The one thing he WAS concerned about was her other petitioners. A good friend that he had made during his time at Hogwarts had been keeping him informed on Hermione and her followers. He knew that she had been given four besides his own, but one if the Weasley's had already been eliminated from the pack. That was a very good thing. But what concerned him, wad the other three.

Draco Malfoy was a rich, pureblood prince, who always got what he wanted. And apparently, according to the source that Viktor had, Hermione had been the object of his affection for years. That fact pissed him off to no end, especially when he remembered how horrible the little ferret had been to his Hermione. He had seen her cry more than once over what that prick had called her. And now he had the gall to want to be with her? Viktor was going to have to have a talk with the little pureblood, wizard to wizard.

The Weasley twins were a whole other issue. He knew the relationship Hermione had with the family. She had been friends with them since she was eleven. They were more like family to her now, especially since her parents had basically disowned her. He remembered how upset he had been when Irina told him about that. He had wanted nothing more than to go and comfort his princess, but he had been in the States at a Quidditch tournament. Instead the Weasley's had been there with their arms opened wide. And now, they both were at the top of her list for potential husbands. He would have to tread extremely when speaking with George and Fred Weasley. Hermione would most defiantly still want them to be a part of her life after she was Mrs. Viktor Krum. And he would make sure that his princess had everything she wanted, no matter what the cost. He had already messed up things with her once and he was a smart man who learned from his mistakes. He wouldn't be making the same one twice.

**So, what did you think? Did you like it? Please review and tell me what you thought. So, I updated with in a week. That's pretty good, right? Better then it has been. I'll try to update once a week, but I'm not promising anything. I did that once and I broke that promise. :( I don't like breaking promises,especially when its really out of my control. Thanks to my beta Just Being Sirius, for getting this back to me so quickly. :) Please review. Happy Reading. **


	26. Chapter 26

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 25

It was the strangest dream that Hermione had ever had, one of those dreams that leave you thinking about it all day long. As Hermione sat down for breakfast that morning, she thought about the dream.

She had been walking through a meadow, picking Gerber Daisies out of the ground. She was wearing the dress that George had given her the day he gave her his petition and she felt extremely happy. As she was leaning down to pick a green flower up and put it in the basket, she heard someone calling her name. She looked up to see who it was and smiled as a handsome blond walked toward her, his signature smirk playing across his face.

He walked up to her, gently moving a piece of hair behind her ear as it began to blow in the wind. She smiled up at him, instinctively leaning into his touch. He looked at her with a look of such love, it was almost tangible.

"Thank you for giving me a second chance," dream Draco said, smiling lovingly down at her. Just before he was about to kiss her, he vanished, causing her to be confused. But then the beautiful flowers caught dream Hermione's attention, and she was happy once more.

Moments later, a giggle caught her attention. She looked up and grinned when she saw one of her best girlfriends, who she hadn't seen in three or four years. It was Irina Krum, Viktor's baby sister. They hugged one another laughing and crying at the same time, happy to see one another after all this time. They looked through the flower Hermione had picked, examining and talking about each of her four flowers. One of the red ones she had picked had started to wither, so Hermione reluctantly took it out and placed it gently on the ground.

"Don't be sad, Nene," Irina said soothingly, using the name she had given her years earlier. The black haired girl looked along the path, searching for another beautiful flower. They both walked along quietly searching, when Irina suddenly squealed with delight, picking up a flower hugging it and running it over to her friend.

"I found a perfect one for you to add to your other flowers," the excited girl informed her friends. Hermione grinned, excited to see what was in her hand.

Irina showed the new flower off, grinning widely until she saw the scared look across Hermione's face. "What's wrong? Isn't it lovely?" the girl asked her, holding out the blue flower for her friend to see better.

"It's gorgeous," Hermione agreed sadly, almost touching the flower before catching herself and quickly pulling her hand back.

"Then what's the problem? It's perfect for you."

Dream Hermione sighed and sat down among the flowers. "The last time I had a blue flower, it flew away, leaving me heartbroken and all alone. I don't want to be broken again."

Irina smiled at her friend, taking a seat beside her. "I understand that you were hurt really bad, Nene. But he was good to you while he was with you. The choice to leave was one he regrets every day. He loved you then; he loves you still."

"I don't want to be hurt again. What's not to say he won't do it again?"

Irina stood, brushing off her back side. "What's to say he will? And if you can give a name calling snake a second chance to prove itself, why couldn't you give the man you loved one?" she asked, raising an eyebrow before walking off, disappearing.

She had woke with a start, but thankfully with no screams or anything to wake Ginny up. That gave her time to try and figure out the dream before class.

As she sat in the nearly empty Great Hall, Hermione was so confused. After leaving the twins last night, she was 95 percent positive that she was going to tell Viktor that she could not except his petition. Even after talking with Professor McGonagall, she had been leaning the same way. Apparently, though, her subconscious self did not think that was a good idea. It kind of makes sense though, she thought as she absently stirred her oatmeal. If I can give Draco Malfoy a chance to prove he's better then what he once was, why can't I do the same for a man that I once loved? A man I might still love just a little bit? Sighing for the billionth time, she took a sip from her goblet, silently wishing there was something a bit stronger in there. She didn't drink often (hardly ever) but at that moment, she really would enjoy having some liquid courage.

"'Ermione, what're you doin' up so early on a Sunday?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

"Good morning, Hagrid. I just couldn't sleep. Wait, did you say it wad Sunday?" she wondered, completely confused.

Hagrid gave the brilliant witch a once over, noticing that she had her uniform on. "Yes, I did."

Hermione's eyes widened as she quickly pulled her Granger 2000 out of her pocket. Clicking it the appropriate number if times, she looked at the calendar. The second Sunday of October was lit up, stating that it was, in fact still the weekend.

"Bloody hell," she whispered, rubbing her temples. No wonder McGonagall and Ginny laughed so hard when I wondered about class last night, she thought shaking her head at her stupidity. I think I'm going completely bonkers.

"Maybe you should go get more rest, 'Ermione," Hagrid suggested, sounding concerned.

Hermione looked up at the gentle giant and smiled. "Thank you, Hagrid. I think I might after I finish my oatmeal."

He smiled down at the young lady, patting her shoulder affectionately before making his way to the staff table.

Sighing, Hermione pulled out her wand and warmed her now cold oatmeal. I need to figure out a way to stop worrying about everything and just go with the flow, she thought to herself. I'm going to end up giving myself a heart attack.

"Good morning, beautiful," a voice said close to her ear, causing her to shiver. She turned to see a smirking, gorgeous man standing behind her.

"Morning," she greeted Draco, smiling up at him. "Care to join me for breakfast?"

Draco grinned widely as he took a seat next to her. "I think I will."

Hermione grinned, happy to have some company. She was sure that she would put herself in the mental ward at St. Mungos if she didn't stop talking to herself.

Draco filled his plate, looking at Hermione out of the corner if his eye. She caught his staring and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she wondered.

"Nothing. Nothing." he quickly assured her, not wanting to ruin their time together. It was the first time in a week that they had been alone and he didn't want to say or do anything to jeopardize it.

Hermione grinned, knowing he was wondering why she had her uniform in, but grateful that he didn't say anything. It was embarrassing enough that Hagrid knew she thought it was Monday.

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Draco asked, wanting to change the subject before awkwardness took over their conversation.

"No. Not until later on this afternoon," she replied. "Do you have plans for the day?"

Draco grinned widely. "I do."

Slightly disappointed, Hermione forced herself to smile anyway. She had hoped to maybe spend the morning with him. "Really? What are you doing?"

Draco smirked, seeing a little disappointment on her face. "Well, I was thinking about walking down to the lake, enjoying the different colors of the season."

"That sounds brilliant and utterly relaxing," Hermione replied.

"It does, doesn't it?" Draco agreed, scooting closer to her. "I think it could be a little better, though."

"How so?" she wondered, inwardly grinning when she realized where this could be going.

Draco turned toward Hermione, trailing his hand down her arm gently, causing her to shiver. "Maybe if you accompanied me, it would be perfect."

Hermione grinned and nodded. "I think that would be brilliant."

Draco smiled, leaning over and gently kissing her lips.

"Do you have to do that at the breakfast table?" a voice asked from across the table, causing the couple to spring apart.

"Honestly, Ron, leave them alone!" his sister scolded him as she took a seat between Harry and her brother.

Blushing slightly, Hermione pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Good morning."

"Apparently it us for you," Ginny grinned, pouring herself a glass of juice. "How are you this morning, Malfoy?"

Draco smirked. "Better then I was earlier."

Hermione smacked him lightly, once again blushing, while Ginny and Harry laughed hysterically. Ron ate his food, watching the scene in front of him with a scowl on his face. He really, really didn't like Malfoy, no matter how much he may have changed.

"Mione, why are you wearing your uniform on Sunday?" Harry asked.

"I kind of lost track of days," she admitted, shrugging like it was no big deal. No need to be upset over it anymore, she thought to herself.

"With everything that happened yesterday, I'm honestly not surprised," Ron replied.

"What happened yesterday?" Draco asked, even though he had a vague idea.

Hermione and Ginny both shot death stares at the red head boy. "Well, I got another petition," Hermione answered quietly.

Draco grabbed her hand and held it gently in his hand. "Okay. May I ask who it was from?"

"Viktor Krum," she answered, looking at him to judge his reaction.

"Thank you for telling me," he replied. He gave nothing away, even though he was seething inside. He thought it was going to be rough having the Weasley twins after the girl he loved, but one Viktor Krum was a whole other thing entirely. Not only was he the best Keeper in all the world, but most importantly, he was Hermione's first love. And Draco knew that Hermione had loved the Bulgarian, a lot.

Hermione smiled, relieved at his reaction. "You're welcome."

"What are you doing today, Hermione?" Ginny asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the red head, knowing exactly what she was asking. "I'm going to spend the morning with Draco. And this afternoon, I have a meeting."

Ginny's eyes grew wide for half a second, before fixing her expression back to one of mild interest. "Well, I hope you aren't going to be wearing your uniform while spending time with Draco."

Having forgotten what she was wearing for a moment, Hermione looked down at herself, quickly standing. "Merlin you're right. I'll be right back," she said before kissing Draco's cheek and running out if the Great Hall.

"She's meeting Krum, isn't she?" Draco asked Ginny as soon as Hermione was out of sight.

"I think so," Ginny answered.

"Bloody hell! She is?" Ron asked, shocked. "Is she going to accept it?"

"I don't think she's going to outright accept it, but she might consider it, like she's doing with Draco and George," Ginny replied.

"Might?" Draco asked. "And what about that other twin? Is she bit considering his petition, too?"

Ginny smiled, seeing how flustered Malfoy was. He must really like Hermione, she thought. "Fred and Hermione are writing back and forth, seeing if they have anything in common and if there could be anything between them. And I'm honestly not sure what she's going to do about Viktor. As of late last night she hadn't decided."

Draco nodded, accepting the answer.

"Is this better?" Hermione asked a few moments later. She had chosen a comfortable pair of jeans and a green sweater, accompanied by her favorite pair of nice boots. She also added a little makeup and put a quick straightening spell on her hair, causing it to be a bit longer.

Draco stood and took Hermione's hand, kissing it gently. "You would look beautiful in anything you wear."

Ginny grinned as she watched the pair walk out of the Great Hall, hand in hand. She knew Hermione was having a hard time deciding what she wanted to do about everything and everyone. But she was glad that it looked like Hermione had decided to take everything in stride. She just hoped that her friend didn't get hurt once again in the process.

**Howdy. So, two chapters in one week. Who knew? LOL! Tell me what you think? Do you like it? Please review. Because of your reviews for last chapter, I was inspired to write another one this week. Don't get used to it though. :) LOL. Thanks to my beta, JustBeingSirius, for her speed in getting this back to me. You rock. Happy Reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

**I own nothing. **

Chapter 26

"Do you have to go?" the handsome blond man asked the brown haired beauty for the tenth time.

"I do," she replied, cupping his face with her hand. He leaned down, pulling her closer to him and kissed her once again, this time with a little more passion, and a lot more need.

Their morning had been a peaceful one, just talking and laughing with one another. It was the most fun the young man could remember having. At least since the last time he had spent time with her.

"I have to go," she whispered, gently pushing at his chest.

"I know," he replied, taking a step back. He wasn't sure what one said to the girl he was falling in love with before she went off to talk with another man. Good luck just didn't sound appropriate, nor did the Muggle phrase break a leg. "I'll see you tomorrow," he decided to go with.

She smiled, leaning in to kiss him one more time before muttering the password to her tower. With one more wave, she disappeared behind the portrait of a fat lady.

Sighing heavily, the blond ran his hand through his hair and started back down the stairs, trying to decide just how to tell the Brightest Witch of Their Age that the Prince of Slytherin was helplessly and hopelessly in love with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"There you are!" Ginny exclaimed as Hermione entered the Common Room after her morning with Draco. "I was wondering if you were going to come back here before you went to meet Krum or not."

Hermione sighed as she feel down on the couch, plopping her feet on Harry's lap beside Ginny's colourful socks that were resting comfortably on his lap. Raising an eyebrow at his best friend, he just shook his head, turning the page in the Quidditch book he was reading.

"I should probably take another shower before going and meeting Viktor, but I'm exhausted," she stated, yawning.

"He won't be here for a couple of hours. Why don't you lean back and take a little nap?" Ginny suggested.

"Sounds like a brilliant idea, but I'm not sure if I would wake up in time."

"One of us will wake you up in time to look so smashing for Viktor, he'll wish he had never broken up with you," the red head girl grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but leaned back on the pillow that was at the end of the couch they were sitting on. She turned on her side, snuggling into the couch, rubbing her feet on Harry's leg.

"You comfortable?" he asked, amused as Ginny threw a massive blanket over the three of them. He knew that rubbing her feet against where she was sleeping was part of her pre-sleep pattern from their time camping.

"Nearly," she smiled, quickly drifting off into dreamland.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Mione, it's time to wake up," Ginny said an hour later.

"Ten more minutes," she grumbled, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Okay, but then you might be late to see a certain Bulgarian," Ginny said, grinning.

Hermione sat up quickly, immediately regretting the action. Temporary vertigo caused her to lean her head against the back of the couch. "I've got to stop doing that," she muttered after a moment.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, concerned, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Smiling, finely felling like her head was back on Earth instead of on a Tilt-a-Whirl gone bonkers, she slowly nodded. "I'll be just fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked, still not convinced.

Hermione laughed as she stood up. "Positive. Oh bloody hell, Ginny! It's already 4:30! How am I supposed to fix this?" she asked, pulling a handful of bushy hair further out for the red head to observe. "With only an hour to get ready? How am I going to look halfway cute if I only have an hour?" Hermione looked around the common room, for the first time noticing that the whole room was starring at her and her outburst. Even though she was blushing furiously at the scene she has just created, she held her head high. "Sorry for disrupting your Sunday afternoon. The show is over and you can go back to whatever you were doing. Go on!"

The room as a whole did as it was told; only a few dared to keep looking at the couch that 2/3 of the Golden Trio was occupying.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny. That was uncalled for," Hermione said sincerely.

Ginny shrugged and smiled, as if it were no big deal. "You're under a lot of stress. It's understandable."

"Maybe understandable, but still completely uncalled for," she replied. "I suppose I should go use the hour I have to try and do a little something with this." Hermione sighed and hurried up the stairs.

"Are you going to go and help her?" Harry asked, wondering why his fiancée was still sitting there. Usually, when his best friend was having a fashion or hair emergency, Ginny was there to save the day. Having her sitting on the couch, doing nothing was completely confusing.

"She needs to learn that she is gorgeous and that she is more than capable of fixing herself up," Ginny replied, shrugging. She looked over at Harry, who looked like he barely believed what he was hearing.

"Is that all? You've been helping her with some of her other dates."

"Yes, well those were with my brothers, not a heart breaking keeper, now weren't they?" Ginny finally answered, causing Harry to laugh and pull her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Well?" Hermione wondered an hour later. She had picked out a simple lavender sweater dress and her trusty dress boats. She decided against a shower, but had used a freshening up spell, leaving her hair to be just slightly wavy. It's not much, but it will have to do.

"You look gorgeous," Ginny replied, sounding a little annoyed by the fact. Hermione was so nervous that she didn't notice.

Harry stood and hugged her tightly. "You look amazing. Maybe you should go back and change...put back on your uniform?"

Hermione laughed and slugged him in the arm for teasing her.

"That hurt!" he exclaimed, rubbing his arm, grinning.

"Good. It was supposed to."

"Did you want me to come with you?" Ginny offered, seeing how nervous her friend was.

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "No thanks. I think that this is something I need to handle on my own." She looked down at her watch and saw that it was thirty minutes after the Professor was suppose to open her Floo for Viktor. She couldn't put this off any longer.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione took a deep breath before knocking on the Head mistresses office door. She heard some shuffling, before the door opened slightly.

"Oh, Hermione!" The Professor exclaimed, sounding genuinely surprised that she was standing at her door.

"Hello professor," she replied, smiling.

The older witch stepped completely out of her office, shutting the door behind her. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Hermione smiled at the older witch and her obvious concern. "Yes, I am."

Ringing her hands nervously, she nodded. "Alright. I'll leave you to it then. If you need me, I'll be in my quarters. The wards to the fireplace will replace themselves as soon as he leaves."

"Thank you," Hermione said as the professor nodded once more, and walked down the stairs, leaving Hermione alone in front of the closed door. She took one more cleansing breath before opening the door.

"Hermione," a deep voice said, practically breathing her name as if it were a prayer.

A thousand things came crashing back at her, causing her to gasp and stumble at their force. All the memories, the smiles, the kisses, the love. It was overwhelming.

"Hermione! Are you alright?" Viktor asked, rushing to her side to help her to the sofa that was against the wall.

"Yes. I think I'll be fine," she replied weakly.

"Have you eaten lately?" he wondered, folding his arms across his chest.

She shook her head, remembering that she had only had a bowl of oatmeal.

Shaking his head and muttering in his native language, he called for Mitzi.

"Yes, Master, OH! OH! Ms. Hermione! Mitzi is so very happy to see you once again!" the tiny house elf exclaimed, shaking with excitement in her pink dress with matching tutu.

"Mitzi! It's lovely to see you again too," Hermione said sincerely, hugging the tiny creature.

"Mitzi is so happy to see Miss again. I didn't know if Master would ever make his biggest mistake right."

Hermione laughed as Viktor rolled his eyes at the over opinionated house elf. "Mitzi, please would you get Hermione something to eat?"

Mitzi left without a word, in a hurry to get one if her favorite human's food.

"I'm surprised she didn't have more to say before she left," the man mumbled, causing Hermione to chuckle. The way that Viktor and his family treated their house elves, was one of the reasons it had been so easy to fall in love with the man who was standing in front of her.

"It is amazing to me that you still forget to eat when you are busy," Viktor said, smiling.

"And you still feel as if you need to take care of me," she said.

"Yes. You nearly fainted a moment ago," the man reminded her.

Thankfully she was saved from having to explain the real reason she had been faint.

"Mitzi brought you lamb gyro and fresh baklava," the excited house elf announced, handing the meal to the young lady. She then snapped her fingers and a small table appeared, with white linen covering it. Mitzi placed lit candles in the middle if the table and a second plate of Greek food appeared.

"Master Viktor must sit down and do this right, if he wants to win back his princess," Mitzi insisted, pulling the massive man with much ease to the seat across from Hermione.

"I thought I was your master," Viktor said teasingly to the house elf.

"You are one of them, Master Viktor, but Mrs. Aphrodite is Mitzi true master. And she says to make sure her son does not mess this up," Mitzi replied. Viktor's ears grew slowly red, but he smiled at the little elf.

"Thank you, Mitzi. That's all we need." The energetic elf nodded and waved at Hermione before popping away, leaving the two young adults alone in an awkward silence.

Hermione picked up her gyro, taking a big bite. She remembered the first time Aphrodite, Viktor's mum, had fixed this for her. She was a pureblood witch from Greece, but she enjoyed cooking. So much so that she owned and ran several restaurants.

"Merlin, I forgot how delicious this is," Hermione said, moaning in pure happiness.

Viktor had yet to touch his food, too engrossed in watching the radiant being in front of him. In that moment, he was extremely happy that Mitzi had sat him down in his chair. He would have a very embarrassing problem otherwise.

Hermione looked up from her plate and caught sight of the look on Viktor's face. She blushed furiously, suddenly no longer hungry.

"You asked to see me?" she said quietly, wanting to get this conversation started.

"Hermione, I love you," was his reply. "I don't want to just give you a petition. I was a complete and utter idiot, choosing Quidditch over you when it wasn't necessary at all. I want to spend every day of forever, making it up to you. You are my princess Hermione." He got up and walked around the table, never taking his eyes off of her. Taking her hand, he lowered himself on one knee, causing Hermione to gasp. "Will you be my today, my tomorrow, my forever? Will you marry me?" A ring seemed to appear out of nowhere, a beautiful white gold band with tiny white diamonds, leading to a massive gem. Hermione gasped, seeing the bright blue diamond.

"Hermione, love, are you alright?" Viktor asked, growing concerned as all color left her face.

It's the exact color of the flower in my dream, was the last thing she thought before everything turned black.

**Thanks to my beta Justbeingsirius, for getting this back to me so quickly. So, what did you guys think? I hope you liked it. I won't know unless you review and you know reviews make me update more quickly. :) And since my beta is going on vacation in a few weeks, I need to get ahead, so you won't think I've abandoned you again. :) Oh and one other thing. There are a few of you (one person really) that thinks that twice a week isn't enough; that I should update twice a day. Well, that would be lovely, if I was a millionaire and didn't need to look for a job or cook food for my husband or do laundry. But, sadly, I am not. :) Anywho, if you review and you don't have a PM block up, I'll reply to the review. :) Sorry for the overly long AN. :) Happy Reading. **


	28. Chapter 28

**I own Nothing!**

chapter 27

"Thank you. Come back and see us again," Fred smiled at the man, handing him his purchases.

"Will do," the man replied as a loud blast came from the back room.

"Nothing to worry about," Fred assured the man as he walked him to the door. "Just my brother making new products for you to buy. Have a good day, mate." He said as he locked the door and turned the open sign to close. It's a bloody good thing we close early on Sundays, Fred thought as he out the wards up in the main area if the shop.

"What happened this time?" he asked his twin as he made his way into the storage room where their brewing station was also sat up.

"I forgot and stirred it clockwise instead of in a figure eight," George answered from the table in the middle of the room, where he sat with his head down. "I don't know what is wrong with me today, Fred. I've felt off all day."

"As if something is going to happen," Fred finished. His twin looked up at him, receiving a sad smile as his twin took the seat across from him.

"You've felt it too?" George wondered relieved that he wasn't the only one that felt weird, but also a little worried.

"All day. Actually now that I think about it, I started feeling that way last night."

"After we left Hermione," George finished for his brother. They shared a look, before Fred quickly got his Granger 2000 out to write a note to Hermione.

'Love, are you okay?' He typed.

"Now we just needed to wait," he said, grabbing his wand as he started to clean up the mess that George had made.

"If she was hurt, Ginny, Ron, Harry or somebody would have let us know, wouldn't they?" George wondered, helping his brother with the mess.

"I'm sure they w..." Fred started but was quickly stopped when he felt an extreme need to get to Hermione quickly. The feeling was so extreme, it was almost painful.

"George,"

"I feel it, too," he cut his twin off, grabbing his wand before he apparated away, quickly followed by his brother.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Lover, I understand that you're hungry, but one day the Plugufferies could decide to take away your appetite, leaving you skin and bones if you don't start taking your time," Luna informed her fiancée. Ron paled, slowing down his eating just a bit, not wanting to turn to skin and bones. He remembered what had happened when he had given his Luna chocolate and was very grateful for those creatures, grinning like a nutter at that memory. If I'm going to believe in one, I might as well believe in all, he thought, smiling fondly at the blonde sitting beside him.

"Good job, lover," she said, leaning over and planting a kiss on his cheek.

Ginny and Harry exchanged a look, trying not desperately not to laugh loudly.

The two couples were having dinner together at the Gryffindor table, enjoying each other's company. Ron and Luna were getting excited with every day that passed, ready to be with each other forever.

"Have you set a date?" Luna asked Ginny as the boys started talking about the upcoming Quidditch match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

"Not yet," Ginny replied, shrugging. "We still have time to decide. We really don't want to rush this, seeing that the Ministry made us rush into getting engaged."

Before Luna had the chance to reply, their attention was caught by running footsteps that lead straight toward their part of the table.

"Fred? George? What are you doing here?" Ron asked, confused to see his brothers.

"Hermione! Where's Hermione?" Fred demanded his eyes wild with worry.

"What's wrong? What do you mean where's Hermione?" the little brother wondered.

"Damn it, Ron! Stop being a bloody git and tell us where she is!" George practically roared.

Ginny stood, placing her hand on her older brother's arms, trying to calm them down. They were drawing quite a bit of attention from other tables around the Great Hall.

"Calm down," she said quietly, leading her brothers quickly out the crowded room, followed closely by Ron, Harry, and Luna. "What's this about? I'll tell you where she is, but first you needed to calm down and tell me what this is all about."

"We've both been having feelings all day, like something's going to happen," Fred replied quickly, running his hand through his hair.

"We actually started feeling strange last night when we left Hermione," George said, pacing back and forth.

"Then, a few minutes ago, an intense feeling hut us both," Fred explained.

"It felt like we needed to get to Hermione quickly," George added.

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Harry asked, his hand closing around his wand in his pocket.

"Who's in trouble?" a voice demanded from behind them. Draco heard the twins demanding to know where Hermione was when they burst into the Great Hall. If she was in trouble, he wanted to know.

"What's it to you, Malfoy?" Fred asked, glaring angrily at the blonde.

"Stop, Fred," Ginny said, turning to Draco, who had walked closer to the group. "My brother's had a feeling that something was going on with Hermione. But she's perfectly safe."

"How do you know? Malfoy, where the hell are you going?" George demanded.

"Draco, don't," Ginny started, but was cut off quickly.

"I didn't want her to go to meet him, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want her to think I was a jealous git," Draco responded, practically running through the castle, the twins, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna close on his tale. "But I've never liked Krum. Not ever."

"She's with Krum?" George asked, completely surprised. "When did that happen? She just got his petition!"

They stopped at the entrance to the Headmistress office.

"Does anyone know the bloody password?" Fred asked angrily.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, I believe I do," a voice behind them announced, coming to the front of the group. Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow at her students, particularly the Weasley twins, who were not supposed to be there.

"Do you mind explaining what you are doing, running around the castle like a bunch of fairies in heat?" the headmistress asked, hands folded in front of her.

"Professor, please we need to check on Hermione. She might be in trouble," Harry responded, knowing that the professor would listen to him sooner then she would the others. There was only one of her students that she would listen to more quickly, and she was up in the office.

McGonagall's eyes widened, surprised at the look of concern on the faces of the men that stood in front of her. She looked Luna, who looked a little confused and over to Ginny, who just looked annoyed.

"Alright. I'll let you in, however if she's fine all of you," she said, pointing to the men, "are going to apologize to Hermione." They all nodded quickly, not at all opposed to doing so.

"AND Viktor," she added.

Harry and Rob nodded quickly, while it took the other three a moment to do so.

McGonagall whispered her password, watching as the door opened, revealing the staircase. They quickly ran up, stopping only because the Professor was in the way.

"You are not just going to burst into my office. We are going to knock, showing them the respect and privacy they deserve." She then knocked, waiting patiently for a reply. After a moment, she did it again, this time adding, "Ms. Granger? Mr. Krum? I'm coming in, I've forgotten something."

She opened the door, looking around the room quickly.

"Where is she?" George demanded, looking around.

"I thought you said she would be in here," Fred roared, glaring daggers at Draco.

"She was supposed to be! She told me that this was where she was meeting him," Draco insisted, looking at Ginny, hoping for answers.

"This where she was going! I have no clue where else she would be," Ginny replied, no longer looking annoyed with the situation. She was now extremely worried.

"Harry, go and send a patronus to the head Auror," McGonagall instructed, leaving no room for argument. Harry's face went white as sheet, but he nodded and ran from the room to do as instructed.

"Professor, what is it? Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked, her voice slightly shaky.

"Ms. Granger has been taken from the castle through the Floo. Mr. Krum has locked whatever fireplace that he has taken her, meaning that there is no way for anyone to follow them."

**Don't kill me! LOL. I had a little more written, but I decided to stop it here, with the help of my WONDERFUL beta, Justbeingsirius. I thought it would flow better if I did so. I will TRY to update again in the next couple of days, but something wonderful happened...I FINALLY found a job. YEA! Anywho, what did you think? What do you think will happen? Review and let me know. Otherwise I don't know if you want me to continue. Thanks for all the reviews, by the way! I love them. Happy Reading.**


	29. Chapter 29

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 28

"Viktor?" a small, dark haired witch asked, clearly surprised with the visitor that had just Floo'd into her home in the south of France.

"Hello," he replied, as he laid something on the couch in her living room.

"What are you doing here? I thought that you were meeting...Oh Merlin! That's Hermione! What did you do, Vik? Wasn't Mitzi with you? MITZI!" Irina Viktoria Krum exclaimed, not believing what she was seeing.

"Why did you have to call her? And why, in Merlin's name, did you think that this is my fault?"

"Mitzi hasn't been called back by Master Viktor, Miss Irina..." the house elf stopped talking when she saw the unconscious human lying on her young master's couch. Her ears turned red instantly, her eyes became as big as saucers. She quickly walked to the young women, placing her long, pointy nose to the side of Hermione's, closing her own eyes.

"Mitzi," Viktor started, but quickly shut his mouth when the house elf turned to give him the most evil look he had ever seen from his onetime nanny. She hadn't even glared at him that way when he had sat Irina's hair on fire when they were younger.

"Master Viktor is very, very not smart in lady friend manners," Mitzi stated, pointing her finger at Viktor. "Miss Hermione shocked."

"This is why I asked what you did," his sister said, sending him a similar look to the one Mitzi had. "What happened?"

"We were eating the meal Mum cooked for us and all was going well. Then my Hermione made the most erotic sound and,"

"Master Viktor stopped thinking with his big brain and started thinking with the teeny tiny one," Mitzi finished, shaking her head. Irina couldn't help but chuckle at Mitzi's assessment and her brother's reaction.

"That's not true. I wasn't thinking with my...well that. I told her that I loved her and that I should never have chosen Quidditch over her. I told her that I didn't just want to give her a petition. And then I got down on one knee and I asked if she would marry me," he explained, smiling.

"See. Mitzi was right. Thinking with wrong brain," the house elf said.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Irina exclaimed at the same time. "You haven't had any contact with her since you broke her heart. And you think you can just waltz in there and ask her to marry you and she would just jump in your arms as if nothing happened? You are more of a bloody prat then I thought you were!"

"What do you mean? I love her and she loves me."

"How do you know, Viktor? Did you ask her? Just because you are Viktor Krum, almighty Quidditch god, does not mean that every girl wants to be your wife," his sister screamed at him.

Mitzi stood and placed his hands on her hips. Then, grinning quite evilly for a normally sweet house elf, she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

"Where do you think she's going?" Viktor asked his sister worriedly.

Irina grinned as she placed a wash cloth on Hermione's forehead. "My guess is to get Mum."

Viktor fell into the chair; loosening the tie he had been wearing to impress his Hermione. "Bloody hell."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Why are we just still STANDING here?" the twins asked together, angrily pacing in the headmistress office.

"Calm down, Loves. We have no clue as to where that monster took her," Molly Weasley said, patting her son's arms as the paced by her. "They need to gather information to know where to start their search."

Less than an hour after the Aurors were called in, all of the Weasley's were assembled in the office, as well as Professor Chaffin, who had a calming hand on Charlie's back. The most surprising member of the party assembled was one Narcissa Malfoy, who came as soon as her son had contacted her. She loved her son dearly and knew that if it wasn't for the girl who was missing, that he very well could be dead. That reason alone would have been enough to bring in her knowledge on all things Pureblood. When you added the fact that Draco was in love with her, nothing alive nor dead could keep her away.

"Mum, do you know anything about the Krum family?" Draco asked quietly, watching from across the room as the Weasley's loudly declared things needed to go more quickly.

"I do not know a whole lot about Dominik, however I've always seen Aphrodite as a dear friend," Narcissa replied.

"Really?" her son wondered, not remembering ever hearing about her or seeing her at any of the gatherings his mother used to have.

"Yes. Your father," she started, wrinkling her nose as if she smelled something horrible. "Did not like for me to associate with her. She owns muggle restaurants and she refused to let her husband have anything to do with The Dark Lord," Narcissa smiled.

"She would not LET her husband?" he asked, eyes wide in total shock. He had never heard of the women being the leader in the relationship.

She looked at her son and shook her head. "I'm so sorry for how your childhood was. I allowed your father to rule me as if I was a bloody lap dog. I was quiet as long as I got my treats and for that I will never be able to forgive myself. When you are in a loving relationship, you make sure and listen to the opinion of the one you love. You make sure to do your best to make them happy."

"That's what you mean by her not letting him? He chose not to because she didn't agree?" he wondered, trying to understand.

Narcissa nodded, smiling at her son. "She is a Greek women and one if the sweetest and most spunky women I have ever had the pleasure to know."

"How could a woman like that raise a son like Krum?" Draco asked. He looked at his mother, seeing her eyebrow raised and sighed. "I'm sure you were asked the same thing."

"Yes, but you have changed for the better," she replied, patting his knee. "But if I know Aphrodite, and I do, seeing as I've recently invested in a new restaurant with her, I would say she will be none to happy when she finds out what's happened."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Viktor. Dominik. Krum. What. In the name of Merlin. Is that precious angel. Doing here?" Aphrodite Krum demanded to know. The slow, quite tone of his mother's voice scared him more than any dementor or bludger ever had. He could handle her screaming and cursing him out in Greek, but this, this was a whole other thing.

"She fainted mummy," he started, but stopped quickly when she raised her hand up.

"Why did she faint?"

"The bloody prat asked her to bloody marry him after not seeing her for years," Irina answered from her spot by Hermione's side. The brown haired witch still hadn't woken up, which was starting to worry her. She looked at her mother and quickly apologized, not wanting to have the wrath of her mother's stare on her for long.

"Is this true?" Aphrodite wondered. "I hope it's not, because I raised MY son to respect women. To think about their wants, needs and desires above his own. I did NOT raise him to assume just because a women may have loved him at one time that it means she still does. That makes you no better than a man who is controlling and manipulative, two qualities that I for one never taught you."

Viktor had tears running down his face. He had not meant for his proposal to cause such a commotion. He had simply wanted to express his love and undying devotion to the witch that he loved. He never meant it as being manipulative. He despised manipulative people.

"How do I fix this? All I wanted to do was show her how sorry I was for being an arse and leaving her. I love her so much, mummy. I'm so, so sorry for being such a disgrace to your name."

Aphrodite wanted nothing more than to hug her son close, but knew that he did not need that right now. He needed her strong.

"I believe that you intentions were good, however your actions were horrible. I want to know why you decided to bring her here, to Irina's house, instead of calling the nurse there at Hogwarts? Do you not understand that when people find out that she's no longer there, they will call for your head a bloody platter? What were you thinking?"

"All I was thinking was getting Hermione to a safe place where she could rest," he replied, not caring what they might want to do to him.

"And she wasn't safe at Hogwarts?" his mother wondered.

"Yes, I suppose she was, but..."

"Mitzi, Hektor," Aphrodite called for her most trusted house elves.

"Yes, Mrs. Aphrodite. Mitzi is here." Mitzi announced happily, while Hektor merely bowed, glaring occasionally at his sister, who had no proper respect for her masters.

"Mitzi would you please go to Hogwarts and ask Minerva McGonagall to accompany you here, along with Harry Potter," Aphrodite asked kindly.

"Yes, Mitzi will ask the stern lady and the glorious wizard to come with her," the house elf eagerly replied, popping away quickly.

"Hektor, would you go and ask Narcissa Black to please come with you quickly," she asked, wanting her best friends advice on the whole situation. She refused to call Narcissa a Malfoy. She deserved more than that wanker's last name.

"Of course, Mistress Krum," he replied, quickly leaving the room.

"What now?" Irina wondered, watching as her brother began to pace.

Aphrodite walked over to the couch and sat at Hermione's feet. "Now we wait." She removed the blanket from the back of the couch and placed it gently over Hermione.

She loved that young lady as much as she loved Irina. When her son had told them he had broken up with Hermione, she had slapped him upside the head. It was by far the biggest mistake he had ever made and now, it seemed he just kept making them where the beautiful brown haired witch was concerned.

"Mum!" her daughter exclaimed, pulling out if her thoughts. Hermione moved her head slightly, moaning softly.

Viktor ran over, kneeling on the floor in front of Hermione. "Hermione, love, can you hear me? Wake up, princess," he cooed softly, pushing stands of hair away from her face.

She moved her head very slowly, just a little bit at a time. With every word that Viktor whispered, she moved her head towards the sound of his voice, finally turning completely facing him, her eyes still closed. A sound softly escaped her lips, causing Viktor to grin widely.

"What? What did she just say?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Narcissa and Draco were getting some air out in the draughty hall just below the Headmistress office. The room was getting crowded, even though McGonagall and a few of the other professors were making rounds for the evening. The mother and son duo were enjoying the quiet, not used to the loud voices that made up the majority of the would-be-rescuers, when there was suddenly a loud pop.

Draco quickly drew his wand and pushed his mother behind him in one quick movement, something left over from the war. The quivering figure in front of him caused him to lower his wand.

"Hektor?" Narcissa asked, coming out from behind her son, moving quickly to the house elves side.

"Yes Mistress Black," he replied respectfully, bowing.

"Please, there's no need for you to bow. Let's move over here, shall we?" She grabbed her son's hand pulling him along with her.

"Whose house elf-" Draco started, but shut it when his mother shook her head at him. They walked to an empty corridor, away from the entrance to McGonagall's office.

"Now, Hektor. What is it that Aphrodite needs?" Narcissa asked, leaning down so that she could speak quietly.

"Aphrodite? Viktor's mum?" Draco exclaimed, instinctively going for his wand.

"Calm down, son and let Hektor speak," his mother snapped at him, nodding at the young house elf.

"Mistress Krum asked for Hektor to ask if you would accompany me to her," he replied, giving only the information that his master had asked of him.

"Of course," she replied without a second thought. Aphrodite offered her their family home in Athens many times during the War and had saved her life several times when she had been bold enough to stand up to her ex-husband. If she needed her help, she would be there. But if it had anything to do with Hermione, and she had a feeling that it did, Draco had every right to know and to be there.

"My son will accompany me," she added, grabbing hold of his hand. Hektor started to object, but decided better of it, not wanting to be like his sister.

"As you like," he replied, grabbing her hand and disappearing.

**Thanks for all of the reviews and awesome feedback that you're sending my way for this story. It really helps me update more quickly. Also, thanks to my beta, JustBeingSirius. You rock. What do you think of this chapter? I would really like to know. Reviews make me happy. Oh and I don't start work until NEXT Monday, so if you want me to write a lot this week, to get ahead for the coming chapters, I would review. LOL. Anywho, happy Reading.**


	30. Chapter 30

**I own nothing.**

Chapter 29

This is taking too bloody long, George thought for the millionth time as he paced back and forth. He had decided to stop saying it aloud after Kingsley had threatened to stun him. He didn't want to be out of it when they finally found out where the prick had taken her. He wanted to be wide awake and alert so that he could be there for her if the Bulgarian had touched her. If he dies he'll have one less appendage to worry about, he thought violently.

"George, would you like some tea?" a dreamy voice asked from beside him. Luna was smiling reassuringly, holding out the cup for him to take.

"Thanks, Luna," he replied, taking to cup from his future sister in law. She nodded and took a seat on Ron's knee, leaning into him as he pulled her close.

"Where did Minerva go?" Molly wondered as she fussed about the room, dusting this and that. She couldn't just sit still and she didn't think it was appropriate to pull out her knitting needles while one of her daughters was missing.

"I'm right here, Molly. And would you please put that down. I just had those polished and there really is no need to dust, seeing that the house elves insist on doing it," the professor said, walking back into the room, taking the spinning trinket out of her friends hand. "No one is going to think less of you for knitting, Molly. Everyone knows you can't sit still."

Molly sighed and took a seat, quickly doing as she was asked.

"Professor, have you heard anything new?" Ginny wondered, looking towards the door every few moments, worried as to where her fiancée was. He had left with Kingsley and her father half an hour ago to check the grounds for any sign of Viktor and Hermione. She couldn't help but worry about him.

"No, unfortunately I haven't," the professor answered sadly."Where did the Malfoys go?"

"Mrs. Malfoy said that she needed air and Draco accompanied her," Ginny answered as Harry entered the office.

"We saw no sign of anyone leaving the grounds," he said before anyone could ask. "Kingsley and Mr. Weasley sent me in here to let you know. We were wondering..."

Before Harry could finish what he was saying, a loud pop sounded through the room, causing everyone to quickly draw their wands.

"Mitzi asks that the lovely wizards and witches please lower their wands," a strange looking house elf said, smiling brightly at the group in the room. Her eyes came across the black haired wizard and she began shaking with excitement.

"Mitzi's always wanted to meet the great Harry Potter. She has always heard wonderful things about you from the handsome Dobby," she said sadly, wiping a tear from her eye at the memory of her very best friend.

"You knew Dobby?" Harry couldn't help but ask, stepping closer to the tutu wearing house elf.

"I did, oh yes. He was a wonderful elf. Mitzi was very, very fond of him," she replied, batting her eyes a little bit.

"I think she's flirting with him," Ron whispered to Luna, who grinned.

Harry shot his best friend a look before turning back to the talkative elf.

"Your name is Mitzi?" he asked, kneeling so he could speak with her face to face.

"Yes, Mitzi I am," she replied, smiling as she held out her hand to shake his, as her mistress had taught her.

"Nice to meet you, Mitzi," Harry said, accepting the tiny hand, giving it one gentle shake. "Mitzi, why have you come to the head mistresses office?"

Mitzi's eyes widened and turned quickly to the older women who still stood behind her desk, watching the exchange between Harry and the elf with an amused expression on her face.

"Mitzi apologizes for forgetting why she is here. I gets too excited when I meet the most handsome and noble savior of our world." she said, bowing slightly in repentance. Harry blushed as Rob snickered at Mitzi's assessment of him, while Ginny grinned, wishing that she could have a house elf as amusing as the one that had appeared before them.

"No need to be upset, Mitzi. Please do not hurt yourself," Professor McGonagall added quickly, knowing that house elves were prone to doing that if they disobeyed their masters.

"Oh, Mitzi never hurts herself. Mrs. Aphrodite would never allow Mitzi or Hektor to hurt ourselves. She says we valuable creatures, who have a free will. She gives us coins for our work. I buy pretty dresses, with help from the youngest miss," she replied, beaming as she spoke about her mistress.

"It sounds like you have a wonderful boss," Fred replied, smiling sadly at the little elf. Hermione would love her, he thought, looking over at his twin, knowing that George was thinking similar things.

"Oh yes, red headed twin, I do," Mitzi said, smiling.

"Mitzi, why were you sent here?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Mrs. Aphrodite asked that I bring the Professor and the handsome Harry Potter to her."

Mitzi replied.

"Why?" Harry wondered, curious as to whom this 'Mrs Aphrodite' was.

"She would like to talk with you," the small elf answered, not going into details.

"About what?" Professor McGonagall wondered.

Mitzi rang her hands knowing that the red heads might explode. She looked at them, seeing that they were watching her closely, which made her very nervous. Although her masters loved her very much and would never hurt her, she knew there were wizards that thought nothing of hurting their elves.

"Mitzi, it's alright," Luna said coming over to where the young elf stood. She took a seat on the floor next to her and smiled at her. "I will not let them hurt you."

Mitzi looked at the young witch beside her and smiled, knowing that she meant exactly what she said.

"About one of the best humans in the world. About my Ms. Hermione," Mitzi answered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"What did she just say?" Irina asked, watching as her brother gently tucked a hair behind Hermione's ear.

"She said, 'it's the same blue'," Viktor replied.

"What? Why does something that bloody crazy make you smile?" she wondered.

He pulled the box out of his pocket and held it up to show his mother and sister the ring.

"Bloody hell," Irina whispered, looking at the ring.

"Language," Aphrodite scolded her daughter, smiling at the ring she was examining. Even if her son had asked Hermione to marry entirely too quickly, he had incredible taste in jewellery.

"Princess, are you awake?" Viktor asked, rubbing her forehead gently.

Hermione moved her head, her eyes fluttering a little, when suddenly there was a pop in the centre of the room, causing her to jump a bit, her eyes opening quickly, terrified.

"Hermione!" a voice gasped.

Viktor turned to see Hektor with a beautiful women and none other than Draco Malfoy, his wand pulled, pointed directly at the Bulgarians head.

"Draco? Viktor? Where am I?" Hermione asked, starting to sit up, but feeling extremely dizzy as she did.

"Wow, lie back down, Princess," Viktor insisted, fluffing the pillows up and helping her lay back down.

"Get your hands off of her!" Draco demanded his arm shaking as he walked toward Hermione.

"I will do no such thing," Viktor said, slowly standing and turning.

"You dunderheads. Expelliarmus!" Irina took both of their wands, handing them to their shocked mothers. "If you two would get your head out your arse's and think for half a minute about what you are doing, you would know that you could hit her with whatever curse you shot at one another."

"I'm right here," Hermione said, her head pounding a bit. She grinned at her friend, happy to see her, even if she had no clue as to where she was.

"I'm aware," Irina replied smiling. She walked over and hugged her gently, not wanting to hurt her.

"Where am I?" Hermione asked, looking over her friends shoulder and raised an eyebrow at what she saw. Aphrodite Krum and Narcissa Malfoy where talking quietly, looking as if they were pretty good friends, while their sons looked as if they could kill each other with in just a few minutes.

"You're at my place," Irina replied.

"In France?" she asked shocked, her voice heard across the room.

"Yes, in France," the black haired girl answered.

"Why am I here?" Hermione wondered.

"You were kidnapped, love," Draco answered, kneeling at the end of the couch that her head was on, rubbing her check.

"She bloody well was not kidnapped," Viktor practically roared, his magic clearly visible.

"What do you call being taken from your home, not having a clue as to where you are?" the blond asked, raising his eyebrow.

"She wasn't taken from her home and she doesn't know where she is because she had fainted," Krum declared.

"Oh so you take unconscious women to unknown places without the knowledge of anyone she holds dear, knowing where she has gone. That's sounds a lot better then kidnapping," Draco replied sarcastically.

"Would you two please go somewhere else if you can't keep your mouths shut and egos in check?" Hermione asked, rubbing her temples slowly, developing an even bigger headache.

"Sorry, love," Draco said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," Viktor kissed her hand.

"Hermione, what do you remember, dear?" Aphrodite asked, her daughter moving so that she could sit with Hermione on the couch.

"Aphrodite, it's good to see you," she replied, truly happy to see the women that at one time she hoped would be her mother in law.

"It's wonderful to see you as well," the Greek women said, leaning in and hugging her tightly, a small tear escaping from the corner if her eye. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember going for a walk with Draco and him walking me back to the common room," she started, blushing when she remembered the amount of snogging that had taken place. Draco grinned and winked at her, causing his mother to clear her throat, pulling his attention to her. She raised an eyebrow, earning a slight blush from her son. She smiled and turned to look at the girl who was the center of attention.

"What do you remember next?" Narcissa asked, smiling gently at the girl, hoping to gain some trust.

"I picked out what to wear and got ready to meet Viktor. I walked to Professor McGonagall's office and she asked if I was sure that I wanted to meet with him."

"Why wouldn't you want to meet with me?" Viktor wondered, slightly confused.

"Because you're a git," Draco replied shrugging as if it was common knowledge.

"Draco," his mother warned.

"Sorry," he said, looking first at Hermione and then his mother, letting them know that he was apologizing to them, not the prick who caused the mess they were in.

Hermione shook her head, knowing that Draco was only saying what Viktor thought of the blond, too. "Then, I walked in and got a little light headed. After not seeing Viktor for so long, I was surprised when a lot if memories came back to me."

It was Viktor's turn to grin, taking her hand in his once again and kissed it. "I asked if you were okay."

"And I said I thought I would be fine and you."

"Asked if you had eaten anything."

"And I said not in a while and you called Mitzi and asked her to bring me some food," Hermione added, smiling at the grinning Viktor. She had always loved it when he would grin broadly like that, without holding anything back.

Not liking what he saw, Draco decided to ask a question. "What happened not, love?"

"Mitzi brought me my favorite meal that Aphrodite makes for me. Lamb Gyro and baklava."

"Oh, she makes the best baklava," Narcissa replied, smiling as she thought about the delicious dessert.

Hermione grinned, happy to have someone who agreed with her. "She really does. Anyway, we were eating our dinner and I remember Viktor telling something and he came around...oh bloody hell."

"What?" Draco asked, rubbing her check gently. "Did he hurt you? You can tell me anything."

"He didn't hurt me but he was an idiot," Hermione replied, glaring at the sheepish looking Viktor.

"What did he do?" Draco asked, slightly amused that Viktor was being glared at by all of the women in the room, including his mother, who had obviously been told what he did.

"He asked me to marry him after not talking to me for almost four years!" Hermione said angrily, glaring at him.

Draco raised an eyebrow at the Bulgarian, who looked horribly upset. It didn't bother Draco at all, especially since it looked like Hermione wasn't even considering it.

"Hermione, dear, why don't you lean back and rest. Hektor, would you mind getting some teas prepared. And please bring Hermione my special blend of peppermint tea," Aphrodite said, taking charge. Hektor bowed and left the room to do as he was asked.

"Draco, would you be a dear and go help Viktor find some more chairs at our house, please?" the matriarch of the Krum family asked.

Draco began to object, but stopped as his mother shook her head no. He knew his mother either had something up her sleeve or that Hermione needed the pair of them out if the room for a few minutes. Narcissa Malfoy was an excellent judge of what an upset women needed most.

"Yes, of course," he answered, kissing Hermione on the forehead.

Viktor stood, mumbling something in Bulgarian, more than likely curses if the look his mother was giving him was any indication. "Give me my wand back, Irina."

"I think I'll keep it until you get back, thank you," she replied, smiling sweetly at her brother.

"How am I to get to Mum and Dad's?" he demanded to know.

"Floo, of course," she answered, grinning. "You know how to use that, right, seeing that's how you brought Hermione here?"

"Irina, enough. Go Viktor and there better not be any fighting," Aphrodite said.

"How are you feeling, Nene?" Irina asked, sitting beside her once the boys were gone.

"I'm a little light headed, but other than that, I'm fine," she answered.

"How are you FEELING?" Aphrodite asked, smiling affectionately down at the young lady.

Hermione sighed looking at the women that surrounded her. She had no clue as to why she was here, although she gathered that Viktor brought her here after she fainted. She had no idea why Narcissa or Draco were here either, but both of their presence was reassuring, Narcissa's surprisingly so.

"In feel confused, tired and extremely angry. I haven't got a clue as to why Viktor thought it was a good idea to ask me to marry him after not seeing me for so long. It doesn't make sense. Not at all."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Hermione? Where is she?" Fred demanded, walking closer.

"Who's your master and how do they know where she is?" George asked.

"What do you mean by 'your Ms. Hermione'?" Ron wondered.

"Will you lot shut it and let Mitzi talk?" Luna shouted, causing all of the red headed men to hush, shocked by her outburst.

"Thank you Miss. You are as sweet as Ms. Hermione," Mitzi said to the blond, smiling at her.

"My name is Luna, Mitzi and that is a very wonderful complement, thank you."

"Mitzi, who us your master?" Harry wondered.

"Mrs. Aphrodite is my master," she answered.

"And how does Mrs. Aphrodite know Viktor Krum?" he asked, smiling at the house elf to let her know that he wasn't angry with her.

"Mrs. Aphrodite is his mother. He hasn't been using his brain for a while now," Mitzi replied, shaking her head.

"I like this elf," Ron mused, grinning at Mitzi.

"Do you know where Hermione is?" The Boy Who Lived asked.

"Oh yes, Mitzi does. She is being looked after by Ms. Irina while Mrs. Aphrodite is scolding her idiot son soundly," the elf answered, smiling at the memory.

George and Fred laughed loudly, even though they were still worried about Hermione.

"Irina is Viktor's sister," Ginny stated, remembering Hermione talking about how close they had been and how they still sent owls.

"Yes, she is very smart, Ms. Irina is," Mitzi replied.

"She wants you to bring Harry and I to where Hermione is being keep?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Ms. Hermione isn't being keep. She is free to leave anytime she wishes. Ms. Hermione is loved by Mrs. Aphrodite very, very much. She wanted Viktor to fix his biggest mistake, but he made it much, much bigger. Poor Ms. Hermione."

"Is she okay?" Luna asked, gently grabbing hold of the little creatures hand.

"Oh, Ms. Hermione is okay. She was just surprised and fainted. That's why the idiot took her to Ms. Irina's house," Mitzi replied.

"Why did she faint?" George wondered.

"Mr. Viktor asked her to marry him."

Harry held out his hand to the elf. "Please take me to her."

"I want to go," coursed the room full of red heads, each stepping closer to the little elf.

"No! You stay here and inform the others that Harry and I are going to go and bring Hermione home," McGonagall said, leaving no room for argument. She held out her hand and Mitzi held onto it, popping quickly away from Hogwarts.

**Thanks to Justbeingsirius for being a wonderful beta. Her computer crashed, but she got this back to me as quickly as she could. :) Thanks. I hope you like this chapter. I have the next one half way finished, but I don't like to complete chapters without feedback from you guys. So please, review! :) Happy Reading. **


	31. Chapter 31

**I own nothing. And just to warn you, this chapter hasn't been beta read. **

Chapter 30

My brother really is an idiot, Irina thought as Hermione dropped her head into her hands.

"Nene, you don't have to decide anything a while now. I know you still have feelings for my brother even though he's a massive git."

"I do," Hermione admitted, tears pooling in her eyes. "But there are three other guys that I've found myself falling for like I never thought I would. I feel like such a slut, going around kissing all of them."

"You kissed Viktor?" Aphrodite asked, a bubble of hope beginning to develop.

"No, I didn't kiss him, but I was thinking about considering his petition. And I'm sure that would have happened eventually."

"You said you were thinking about it. Does that mean you aren't thinking about it anymore?" Narcissa wondered.

Before Hermione could answer, there was a loud pop and before them appeared Harry, Professor McGonagall, and Mitzi.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, happy to see the man that was like her brother.

"Hermione are you okay?" he asked, taking the place next to her that Irina had just vacated.

"I'm fine. I just fainted and Viktor brought me here," she explained.

"Where is he? I would like to have a word with him," Harry replied, his hand twitching near the pocket he keep his wand.

"He went with that blond bloke to get more chairs from my parents house," Irina said.

"Oh, Harry this is Irina Krum. Irina, this is my oldest friend, Harry Potter," Hermione introduced the two happily, glad that they were finally able to meet.

"It's nice to meet you in person," the black haired witch said, shaking his hand briefly.

"I'm glad to finally put a face to all of the stories I've heard," he grinned.

"Merlin, Nene! What did you tell him?" Irina asked concerned.

"Everything," she replied, grinning evilly as the Floo activated.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Harry wondered. He glanced across the room to see Narcissa Malfoy with a beautiful brown haired women and Professor McGonagall talking quietly.

"My mother dragged me here when some house elf was asked to come and get her," the blond boy answered as he put the chairs he had been carrying down. "I'm glad she brought me though," he added, walking over and kissing Hermione gently on her forehead.

"Would you stop doing that?" Viktor asked angrily.

Harry glared at the man. "What in Merlin's name gives you a right to ask that? And why didn't you just come and get me when she fainted? You must have known we would all jump to conclusions when we couldn't find her."

"Harry," Hermione started, grabbing for his arm, but was ignored as the savior of the magical world continued.

"Why, after breaking her heart all those years ago, did you think it was okay to ask her to marry you and on the very day that you see her for the first time since then? Hmm? Do you know? Or is your gigantic head stuck so far up your arse that you just assume she would be waiting by the window for your owl, just in case you ever decided that you wanted to grace her with your presence once more?"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, watching as her friends face became as red as Ronald's did when he was angry.

"No, Hermione, I deserved that," Viktor said, sitting in one of the chairs that he had carried from his parents house. "I deserve so much more. I was a fool to break up with my princess all of those years ago. Things would have been just fine if I hadn't. We could have wrote back and forth often, seeing each other on holidays. But I was young and I didn't think that I could handle a relationship and Quidditch at the same time. I was okay for awhile, but every time I went home, her pictures were still there, her letters to Irina in the library. And then the war happened and afterwards I wanted to give her space to breath after everything you three went through." He turned to Hermione, his eyes on hers. "When I heard what happened with your parents, I wanted nothing more then to come, gather you up and never let you go. But Irina advised me that I no longer had the right and that you didn't need any added heartache. I was a few days away from coming to see you when I heard about the Marriage Law, and that seemed like the best way to get back with you. I am more sorry then I have ever been about anything, Hermione, for everything I've done. And I fully understand if you reject my petition." He walked over, gently took her hand and kissed it, before turning and walking back to the Floo, calling out his flat in London.

"He never did answer why he brought her here instead of calling for me," Harry grumbled.

"He was trying to get her to a safe place and my place was the first thing he thought about," Irina answered, grinning when she saw Hermione glaring daggers into her best friends back.

"What?" he asked.

"Does it matter? I'm fine, you found me. That's all that should matter," Hermione said.

"Thats true," he agreed, smiling. "So can you walk or are you completely useless now?"

She smiled and threw her legs over the side of the couch and stood up, her legs a little wobbly. Draco held onto one arm as Harry held onto the other. She moved slowly, taking tiny steps, until a wave of vertigo crashed down on her.

"She's too weak to move," Professor McGonagall said, walking quickly over to where her students where assembled.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," she replied, her eyes still closed. "I want my bed."

"Glad to know you don't like my couch," Irina teased.

"I didn't mean," Hermione stared, panicking that she may have offend her. No matter what she decided about Viktor, she still wanted Irina to be a part of her life.

"Nene, calm down before you make yourself more dizzy. I was joking," Irina assured her.

"Oh."

"Professor, could a house elf take her straight to her room, that way she wouldn't have to see anyone else until shes ready?" Draco asked.

"I'm sure that could be arranged," the professor replied. Before she could call for one of her house elves, Mitzi popped back into the room.

"Mitzi would be happy to take Ms. Hermione to her room," she offered, looking at her mistress.

Aphrodite smiled widely, happy that Mitzi knew her so well. She had been about to call Mitzi and ask her to accompany Hermione to her room, but her brilliant elf had beat her to it.

"Of course! In fact, I'll have Mitzi pop in everyone once in a while to check up on you for the next few days, just to make sure you are doing well."

"Oh, there's no need to do that. I'm sure I'll be fine after a night of sleep in my bed. I wouldn't want to make Mitzi busier," Hermione replied.

"Mitzi would come and check on you on her own time, even if Mrs. Aphrodite didn't ask me to. I have missed the kind Ms. Hermione."

"Then that's settled," Draco said, placing his arms around Hermione, helping her stand. "She needs to get to bed."

"I'll go back and let everyone know that she's fine and will be back in her room," Harry said, walking towards the fireplace. Before he grabbed a handful of Floo powder, he turned and smiled at the Krum women. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"It was no trouble at all," Aphrodite replied, smiling kindly as the raven haired boy nodded and flooed away.

"Mitzi should take Ms. Hermione back to her room," the young house elf stated, looking at the young witch and at the blonde wizard that was attached to her. "Does Mitzi have to take the young Malfoy boy who was rude to Ms. Hermione for so long with her?"

"Mitzi," Aphrodite warned, trying her hardest not to grin.

"I just thought it would be good to have someone who could hold onto her so that she wouldn't fall," Draco replied, smiling at the elf. "And I've apologized to Hermione, and shes forgiven me. But, would YOU consider forgiving me for all the rude and unthinkable things I did to her for so long? I was a really big idiot."

"Yes, the young Malfoy was an idiot, just like Master Viktor can be," Mitzi said, analyzing the man that still held onto her Ms. Hermione. "But, Master Viktor is a good boy, truly. Maybe you is, too." With that she nodded and held onto Hermione's hand and popped out if the room.

"I apologize for Mitzi bluntness," Aphrodite said to Narcissa and Professor McGonagall. "But she was around my daughter for the majority of her childhood and picked it up."

"It doesn't bother me in the least," the professor replied, smiling at the young Irina, who was cleaning up the couch area. "If you would like to visit Hermione, all you need to do is send me a Floo message and I'll allow you through."

"Thank you, Professor," the black haired witch replied, smiling.

"I must get back to Hogwarts and make sure everyone is going back to where they belong," McGonagall said.

"Thank you for coming," Aphrodite replied, shaking the professors hand.

"If it involves that young witch, I will always be available."

"And thank you for coming and being my support," the Greek women said to her friend, as the Professor flooed back to Hogwarts.

"It was no trouble at all. I was happy to come, especially when I had an idea as to what it was about," Narcissa replied.

Aphrodite nodded, knowing that Draco was obviously in love with Hermione, as was her own son. "She is one of the most precious young ladies I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I was devastated when Viktor told me he broke off their relationship."

"I have to be honest an say I haven't really gotten to know her, but Draco has had a crush on her for years. He was beside himself with excitement when the marriage law was passed, thinking that was the only way that she would ever think about speaking with him. His father brained washed him from birth with the bloody purebloods are better then muggleborn rubbish. He wrote home to me his first year, telling me about a cute, bushy hair girl who was brilliant in all classes. His father demanded to know who she was, so he could get a marriage contract started. But when Draco didn't respond back immediately, he contacted Severus to find out more about her. When he found out that Hermione was a muggleborn, he went insane. He told Draco that she was nothing, that he could not talk with her, befriend her or anything. He promised that if Draco so much as let her borrow a quill, he would make her pay," Narcissa had tears flowing down her face by the time her tale was told.

"That's why Draco was so dreadful to her," Aphrodite said, her eyes dawning with understanding.

"He knew what his father was capable of and did not want her harmed in anyway. He thought that if he distanced himself from her by being a total arse to her, that would help keep her safe. He hated it more then anything he had to do."

Aphrodite sighed, shaking her head. "That really is too much for a young man to have to worry about. You are very lucky that he came out of it all a wonderful young man."

"I am. Do you think that Hermione will give Viktor another chance?" Narcissa wondered.

"I have no idea," Aphrodite sighed.

Irina quietly walked out of the room, leaving the two friends to chat. She knew that they had forgotten she was in the room. There was no way Mrs. Malfoy would have shared that story with her friend if she had remembered that Irina was also in the room. She sighed and went to her closet to retrieve a favorite bag of hers. It had been a gift from Hermione, who had said she had a duplicate. She began putting several outfits and anything she could think of that she might need. Then she quickly placed stronger wards around her house before returning to the living room where her mother and Narcissa still sat chatting.

"Mum, please feel free to stay as long as you like. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but you know how to find me if I'm needed," Irina said as she made her way to the Floo.

Aphrodite rose from the seat she had been lounging on, alarmed that her daughter was leaving at such a late hour. "Where are you going?"

"To London and then to Scotland."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Draco, really, I'm fine," Hermione said for the tenth time in so many minutes. She smiled at the blond, knowing that he was concerned for her, but all she really wanted to do was sleep.

"Are you sure there's nothing else I can get for you before I go?" he asked once again, just to make sure.

"Mitzi hadn't the knowledge that Mr. Draco was a house elf," the little elf said from where she was folding Hermione's clothes and placing them in the hamper to be washed.

Draco glared for a second at the elf, then remembered that it was not the elves fault that he was in such a foul mood. "I just want to make sure there is nothing that Hermione needs before I retire for the evening." He turned to the beautiful witch and smirked, and raised an eyebrow. "Unless you would like me to stay with you tonight."

A loud, squeak like sound came out of Mitzi, the tips if her ears turning red.

"Mitzi, calm down. He was joking," Hermione assured her, glancing at Draco.

Not really, he thought, but nodded.

"I will be fine, Draco. Thank you for all that you've done. I'm sure that Mitzi will take good care of me if I were to need anything," Hermione told the blonde haired man.

"Plus, she has to deal with me too," a voice said from the doorway. Ginny grinned as she walked further into the room.

"Well, I guess I should be heading out," Draco sighed and leaned down and kissed Hermione gently on the lips. "Sweet dreams."

Hermione smiled as she watched the handsome man leave.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny wondered, sitting next to Hermione on her bed.

"I feel fine. Just a little weak and tired," she replied.

"I bet. It's been a long day for you."

Hermione nodded and stretched. "Harry told you why Viktor took me to Irina's?"

"He told us that you had fainted and that Krum was concerned for you and took you somewhere safe," Ginny confirmed. "I know that there is something else, but he wouldn't tell me, because Fred and George were already going bonkers wanting to get to you."

Hermione sat up quickly, concerned about her twins, but immediately regretted it, feeling extremely dizzy.

"Ms. Redhead lady is going to leave if she makes Ms. Hermione upset again," Mitzi warned, helping Hermione lie back down.

"Mitzi, I'm fine," Hermione assured the house elf, turning back to Ginny. "Are they still here?"

"Professor McGonagall is letting them and mum stay here in one of the empty couple areas. They refused to leave and mum really wants to see you with her own eyes to make sure you are okay. Harry refused to let them see you tonight. The only reason I was aloud, was because it's my room too," the red head said. She turned to Mitzi and smiled. "My name is Ginny and I will try not to make her upset anymore."

Mitzi looked the young witch up and down, deciding if she could trust her. "You brothers are the look alike brothers."

"Yes."

"You other brother is Ms. Luna's love?" she wondered.

"Yes and Luna is one of my best friends," Ginny replied.

"If Ms. Luna is your friend, then you are a wonderful witch. You are okay to stay," Mitzi decided.

"Thank you," she grinned as she turned to search for her night clothes.

"How long are they staying?" Hermione asked.

"Until they can see you," Ginny replied.

Hermione smiled and snuggled into her bed and fell asleep quickly, dreaming of red heads, blondes and a knight who carried her away.

**Howdy! Sorry this took so long to get up. I sent it to my beta a week ago, but haven't heard back from her. Remember though, her laptop had gone down and I know she was suppose to go on vacation. Anywho, if you are reading this, Justbeingsirius, I haven't replaced you or anything. :) Just in a hurry to get this up. :) What do you think? PLEASE review so I know what you think. I didn't get a lot of reviews last chapter. Happy Reading. **


	32. Chapter 32

**Here's the next chapter. Its not been Beta'ed. Sorry about that. I own nothing.**

Chapter 31

Harry knew that someone was trying to sneak into Gryffindor tower and he had a pretty good idea that there were two of them. He decided to keep his eyes closed as the portrait door opened quietly and he heard two sets of feet making their way into the common room.

"I know you aren't going to go bother my sister," the raven haired man said, startling the red headed twins.

"I didn't know that you had a sister, Potter," George replied.

"What year is she in?" Fred asked.

"You gits know exactly who I'm talking about and I'm not letting you two go and wake her up! She needs her rest!" Harry exclaimed, moving to stand between the staircase and the twins.

"We aren't planning on waking her up," Fred promised.

"We just want to make sure she's okay," George added earnestly.

"It's barely morning!" Harry said.

"The sun is coming up," George insisted.

"And we aren't going to wake her up," Fred promised again.

"We just want to see with our own eyes that she's okay," they said in unison.

Harry looked the men over, seeing the worry in their eyes. He sighed, knowing it was pointless trying to keep them away.

"Alright, but I'm coming with you." He quickly turned and started up the stairs, casting the spell that froze the stairs.

"When did you learn that spell?" George wondered.

"During my sixth year," he answered, smirking.

"Oi! It better not have been learned to visit our sister!" Fred exclaimed.

"I would never do a thing like that," Harry promised, grinning.

George and Fred glared at The Boy Who Lived, wondering if they could turn him into the Boy Who Couldn't Get It Up, but knowing that Ginny would have their heads.

Harry was about to open the door to the room that Ginny and Hermione shared, when a loud pop stopped him in his track.

"Just what does the handsome Harry Potter thinks he is doing?" Mitzi demanded, hands on her hip. She wore a light purple toto that morning, with a dark purple dress underneath, but she looked anything but cute with the look she had on her face.

"I was hoping to be able to check on Hermione and make sure she is doing alright," he answered kindly, smiling at the young elf.

Mitzi squealed, extremely excited that he had smiled like that at her. "Why do the loud red heads come with you? They's will wake her up."

George looked at his twin, who nodded back at them. Faster the Harry had ever seen them move, they were both down on their knees, trying get eye level with the elf.

"Ms. Mitzi, we are with Mr. Harry to check on Hermione,too," George began.

"We care for Ms. Hermione very very much," Fred assured her.

"We haven't been able to sleep."

"Or eat."

"Or think since we found out that Ms. Hermione was taken," George said.

"And we would really like to see with our own eyes that she is fine," Fred requested.

Mitzi looked back and forth between the pair, seeing that they meant exactly what they were saying to her. "Ms. Hermione has a lot if wizards trying to win her hand."

"It's because she is one of the most brilliant witches in all of the universe,"Fred replied earnestly.

"That is a truth," Mitzi said, smiling. "You's all may go in, but not wake her up. She will be resting for a few days."

"We won't," the twins assured the elf, George picking the little elf up an kissing the top of her head in gratitude, causing the startled thing to squeak.

Harry opened the door quietly, smiling at the scene that waited for him. Ginny had moved her bed right next to Hermione's and was sitting up against her head board fast asleep. It was if she had fallen asleep looking after the girl that was like his sister and that made him love her that much more. He walked around to his fiancee's side of the bed to cover her up more, while George and Fred walked around to the other side, where Hermione was smiling in her sleep. They each gently sat on the bed, careful to place a charm on it so that the mattress wouldn't move.

"Did she sleep well last night?" George asked Mitzi quietly.

Mitzi nodded, pointed at Ginny and made movements with her hand, as if she were using a wand. Then she showed them a potion bottle, showing them that Ginny had given her a sleepy draught after moving her bed.

"Good," Fred whispered, looking down at the witch that he was so desperately in love with; who he felt so strangely connected to. He wanted to move the stray hair away from her face, knowing it would wake her up. Apparently his twin wanted the same thing and did it instinctively. Hermione moved slightly, turning in her sleep towards them, reaching out and grabbing their arms with each of their hands. Her sleeping smile grew bigger and she let out a content sigh.

"You's better make comfortable. Staying right there until Ms. Hermione wakes," Mitzi informed them, sighing and shaking her head as the boys grinned like nutters. George helped Fred pull off his shoes, as Fred did same for George. Fred carefully climbed over Hermione and grabbed one of Ginny's extra pillows before scooting closer to his girl. George laid down facing the beautiful brown haired girl, smiling gently.

"I'm not leaving," Fred heard Harry mumble as heard the raven haired boy ask Mitzi to tell McGonagall where he, Fred and George were, so that she wouldn't spew pumpkin juice if she walked into the room to find them as they were. Fred smiled and closed his eyes, starting to doze off to sleep.

"Mine. Not choosing. ALL are mine," Hermione mumbled in her sleeping, pulling the twins closer to her. Both twins sat up quickly, still trying not to wake her.

"What the in Merlins name did she just say?" Harry demanded.

Ginny, who has been awake most of the night and had woken up when the men had walked into the room, grinned. "She said, ' Mine. Not choosing. ALL are mine.' She's been saying that on and off all night long."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Irina woke up with a start, not remembering where she was at all. She opened her eyes quickly, looking around the room, her wand pulled. When she saw her brother passed out in his chair, the night before came flooding back to her. Hermione being brought to her home, Mitzi exploding, her mother making order of it all and calling Mrs. Malfory and her son to help out. And then she decided to come and have a talk with her brother.

A lot of good that did, she thought, snorting as she remembered the horrible state she had found her brother. She had flowed to his London flat, anticipating that he would have been having a drink of something stronger then Butter beer, but the three empty bottles of Firewhisky that sat on the table next to him shocked her.

"Viktor, what the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" she asked, quickly walking over and removing the glass of liquid that was in his hand.

"The Russian ballet," he replied, bringing his arm up in the sky gracefully and them quickly pulling it back down, almost hitting his sister in the process.

"What?" she asked,laughing slightly as her burly brother twirled around. "It's too late to become a balladeer at your age."

"I have plenty of money to throw towards it," he informed her, glancing down at her as she pushed him down in his favorite chair. She then pulled a potion for no hangovers out of her purse and made her brother take it, knowing he would be better in the morning

"Thank you, Ina," he slurred, smiling at her as he used the name he called her when they were younger and he couldn't pronounce her name.

"Your welcome," she sighed as she fluffed his pillow before going to the hallway closest, trying to find a pillow and blanket for herself for the evening. She made a nice, comfortable bed for herself on his couch, so that she could watch over him.

"I've really screwed things up with Hermione, haven't I? I've lost her forever," he slurred, tears running down his face.

"You have royally made a mess of things," she answered, never being one to sugar coat things. "But I wouldn't say you have lost her. Yet."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes closing as he talked.

"Go to sleep. We can talk in the morning," Irina told him as he began to snore quietly.

Now, in the early morning light, she saw that her brother was sleeping peaceful, the drunken snoring gone. She quietly folded the bedding and placed it back in the closet before heading to the kitchen to put a kettle on the stove. She would be leaving for Hogwarts as soon as she was able to have a talk with her brother, so she would need all of the caffeine she could get.

"Good morning," a voice came from the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

"You feeling any better?" she asked her brother as he came into the kitchen.

"I don't have a hangover, thanks to you," he answered.

"Your welcome," Irina replied, handing him a cup of tea.

"Thanks," Viktor said, taking a soothing drink. "How did I earn a visit from you? I thought you said everything you had to say last evening at your house."

Irina placed her cup on the table and turned to look at her brother. "I wanted to come and tell you that if you don't hurry up and figure out how to pull your head out of your arse, there's no way that you are going to be with the girl of your dreams."

Much to Irina's surprise, her big brother laughed loudly. "Tell me how you REALLY feel!"

"Well, it's the truth. From the things that I heard last night about that Malfoy bloke and from the crush I know that Nene has had on one or both of the Weasley twins, it would be a miracle if you end up with her,"she replied.

"What, exactly did you hear about Malfoy?" Viktor demanded, all looks if amusement completely gone.

Irina told him everything that Mrs. Malfoy had told their mother. The more she said, the more annoyed her brother looked.

"So he thinks just because he pretended to hate her, just to protect her that she's his? How dare he! She's mine!"

Irina raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had finally lost it. "Is she? I would love to hear you say that to Hermione. I'm sure that would win her over real quick."

Viktor sighed, standing up and started to pace. "Your right. She would go bonkers if she heard me refer to her as mine."

"I'm glad to see you're finally using your 'big brain'," his sister replied, smirking.

"Alright, Mitzi, what can I do to earn her respect again and maybe, in the process, win her heart back?"

Irina grinned a grin that, in the past, had terrified him. "I thought you'd never ask."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Luna smiled as an owl knocked loudly on the window to her room. It was her fathers owl and she knew exactly what it brought to her.

"Good morning, Galinante," she greeted the creature, who dropped the heavy book on the desk happily. "Thank you for bringing this heavy book to me."

The owl hooted happily as Luna rewarded his efforts with several treats. He then nodded at her and flew away.

Luna smiled and sat down at her desk. She opened the book to the section she remembered the information to be in that she was looking for. Her eyes grew bigger as she continued to read, shocked evident on her usually serene face.

"This could get interesting."

**So what do you think? Please let me know so I know that you like it. If anyone is interested in being a 'second' beta for me, please let me know. Happy Reading.**


	33. Chapter 33

**I own nothing. Warning...NOT beta read.**

Chapter 32

"Ms. Krum! I didn't expect you so soon!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as her fire place activated, startling her during her early morning tea. She knew she would be needing the caffeine as little sleep as she had gotten the night before.

"I apologize for startling you, Professor. If it's a bad time, I can come back later," Irina replied politely. She didn't really want to do that, but if that's what it took to see get best friend, then thats what she would do.

"That's quite alright. You are already here, so I see no need in sending you away for just a few hours," the older witch said as she took a drink of her tea. "Now, I assume that you've never been to Hogwarts and you have no clue where Gryfindor tower is located."

"No, I don't. I'm sorry," Irina replied. "But I'm sure that I could find my way."

"Oh there's no need for you to go searching the castle for hours," Professor McGonagall insisted. As she opened her mouth to call one of Hogwarts elves to show her the way, there was a loud pop.

"Mitzi?" the two witches asked.

"Ms. Irina! Me's didn't know you were coming to the great Hogwarts," the house elf exclaimed excitedly. She loved Irina as much as she loved Hermione.

"I decided to come and make sure Hermione was alright and maybe stay for awhile, if its alright with Professor McGonagall," Irina replied, glancing over to gage the older witches reaction.

"I think we can arrange something," she said, smiling. "Why don't you take a seat and we can discuss what needs to be done?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Please let me in," Draco begged for the tenth time. He hated asking for anything, it just wasn't his style. He certainly didn't go around, begging for things. Especially from an overweight portrait.

"I'm sorry, I can not let you in without a password, Mr. Malfoy," the Fat Lady said firmly.

"But I have been in there before, just last night even!"

"That may be the case, but I'm not the one who let you through," she replied.

"That's right, McGonagall did! The Headmistress of Hogwarts aloud me through. Surely if she let me, then you know it's fine that I come through," Draco insisted.

"No, I can't. I'm sorry."

"Damn it! Let me in the f,"

"Malfoy?" a voice asked behind him, sounding surprised.

"Yes?" he replied irritably, not recognizing the girl who stood behind him with an amused look on her face.

"Irina Krum. We met last night," she said, walking closer to the portrait.

"Oh yes. Sorry, my mind was rather preoccupied when we met," the blonde replied, running his hands through his hair, sending glares toward the portrait.

"Yes, I remember," Irina smiled, shaking her head. "Dumbledores lemon drops."

The portrait smiled politely at the young lady. "Thank you, dear."

"Your welcome. Beautiful dress by the way," she replied as the door opened to the Gryfindor common room.

"Why, thank you!"

"How did you do that? How did you know the password? Who told you?" Draco demanded as he followed quickly behind her.

"I said the password, someone told me and it was my new Head of House," she answered as she made her way up the staircase.

"Wait, your new Head of House?" the blonde wondered, completely confused as he cast the spell that froze the stairs.

"Yes, I'm going to take some classes here at Hogwarts," she answered.

"I thought you were out of school though."

"I graduated, but they didn't offer some of the classes that are offered here. McGonagall allowed me to come take them," she replied, shrugging as if it were no big deal.

Draco raised an eyebrow, analyzing what the witch in front of him had just said. He didn't know anyone who would want to go to another school, just to take a few classes that hadn't been offered at their own place of education. Well, except for Hermione, a voice in his head reminded him.

"You came to make sure she ends up with Krum," he accused, realizing exactly what was going on.

"No. I'm here to make sure she's alright and to be another ear for her to talk out her choices," Irina insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"You mean to talk up your brother," he replied, crossing his own arms.

"No, that's not what I mean and I don't appreciate that accusation. I meant what I said. I've been friends with her since before you decided to grow a pair and go after her. I know what you did growing up to try and protect her. I know you were a pain in her arse because you wanted to protect her. That was a very noble thing," Irina informed him.

He raised an eyebrow, slightly shocked that she knew that. "She doesn't know."

"I know that. I'm not going to tell her."

Draco looked at the witch in front of him, wondering what she was planning on doing while at Hogwarts. "I'm sorry I accused you of trying to promote your brother."

"You're forgiven," she smiled looking at the closed door in front of them. "Just to warn you, you might not like what we find when we open the door."

"Why? Is she okay?" he asked, panicked, thinking that something was wrong with her.

"Calm down. Mitzi just came to Professor McGonagalls office while I was in there to inform her that Harry and the Weasley twins were in there with her. She said something along the line of those, 'Noisy red head handsome ones surrounding Ms. Hermione with their yumminess.'"

"What does that mean?" Draco wondered.

Irina smirked, raising her eyebrows at the blond. "I thought Nene said that you were known as the Slytherin Casanova."

Draco grinned, enjoying the fact that Hermione had talked about him with one of her best friends. "Actually it's the 'Slytherin sex god' but I'll let it slip, seeing that you are new around here."

Irina laughed and shook her head. "You really are full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Just because I have the nick name does not mean that it's true," he replied, smiling.

"If you were as infatuated with Hermione as I've heard, I have no doubt that its just a rumor," she said. "Well, let's see what we find behind door number one, shall we?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, not understanding what this Bulgarian women was talking about.

Irina laughed. "It's a reference to a Muggle game show from the States. Nene loves corny television shows like that. Its one of her guilty pleasures. We watched them for hours the summer she stayed with us."

"Good to know," he replied, grinning that he had a bit more information on the witch of his dreams.

Irina rolled her eyes as she opened the door quietly, not wanting to wake her friend up.

"Bloody hell," Draco couldn't help but whisper as they walked quietly into the room. He had never seen anything like what was in front of him.

"Indeed," Irina agreed, smirking. Nene, Nene, who knew you had such great taste in men, she thought as she walked closer to the bed to examine the twin specimens that were attached to her.

"How, in the name of Merlins hairy balls did they end up like that?" Draco wondered, irritated to see Hermione sandwiched between the Weasley twins. She had a gentle smile on her face, as if she were the most content she had ever been.

"They were checking on the Ms. Hermione and she was asleeping when she grabbed the twin handsome mens arms," Mitzi replied suddenly.

"Why didn't they try to move away?" he asked, arms folded over his chest.

Irina chuckled softly. "Malfoy, would you have pulled away if a sleeping Hermione had grabbed your arm?"

She has a point, he thought to himself, but refused to voice it aloud. "I would have moved away so she could get some much needed rest."

"And I was Voldemore's long lost best friend," a voice said quietly from the other side of the massive bed.

"Potter?" Draco replied, startled as he realized that the massive bed was actually two beds, pushed together.

"The one and only," the raven haired boy answered, slowly sitting up.

"What are you doing in here?" Draco wondered.

"I came up to check on my sister and then she grabbed those nutters. And there was no way I was going to leave them in here alone with them," he answered.

"I was in here," Ginny replied, sitting up as well.

"Merlin, maybe I should have come to Hogwarts to begin with," Irina said, thinking of all the fun she could have had if she had been able to be around such handsome wizards. There was no way that her Headmistress would have allowed boys in the girls dormitories.

"Are you Irina?" the red headed witch wondered excitedly, crawling to the end of the bed to meet her.

"Yes, you must be Ginny," she replied, laughing as she was enveloped in a hug.

"It's so good to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you!"

"As I have you. It's a pleasure to meet you, too," Irina said earnestly. Hermione had always talked so affectionately about the family that took her in when her parents had practically disowned her. She had loved them before that, but Irina knew that since them, Hermione's affection for the red headed family had grown.

"Mitzi is glad everyone is happy to see people, but you must not wake Ms. Hermione," the small elf insisted, her tiny hands on her hips.

Harry smiled and cast a spell around Hermione, so that she couldn't hear them, but they could hear if she needed anything. "Is that better, Mitzi?"

The young elf let out a squeal of glee, the tips of her ears turning bright pink. "Of course it is, most handsome Harry Potter. Thanks you so much."

"Mitzi, would you mind going and letting mum know how Hermione slept last night and maybe asking the Hogwarts elves to bring some breakfast up for her? I'm sure she will be waking up soon." Irina asked her childhood play mate.

"Of course, Ms. Irina. You's mummy would love to know that," Mitzi replied happily, quietly popping away.

"Your elf is a piece of work, isn't she?" Ginny asked, grinning.

"She was raised with me, so it's really my fault. But I wouldn't have her any other way," Irina replied.

"I like her. She's rather entertaining," Harry said.

"Of course you do, Potter. She calls you handsome every time she even looks at you," Draco replied quietly as he walked closer to the side of the bed that was Hermione's. He smiled down at the beautiful goddess, wondering if he would ever have the privilege of holding her like that.

"How long has she been asleep?" he asked, looking over at Ginny.

"I gave her a Sleeping drought shortly after you left and she's been asleep ever since," the witch replied. She then grinned widely, as if about to add something else, but dropped the grin, hoping no one had noticed. Ginny knew that Hermione wouldn't like for everyone to know what she muttered in her sleep.

"What was that grin for?" Irina wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"What grin?" Ginny asked, playing stupid. She saw the looks that Draco and Irina were giving her and she knew that they wouldn't drop it. Especially if it had something to do with Hermione.

"If I tell you, you can not tell anyone," she insisted.

"Alright," Irina agreed wearily, not knowing the Weasley well enough to trust her.

Draco merely nodded, not taking his eyes off the sleeping face of an angel.

"She talked in her sleep on and off all night."

"Oh, she used to do that all the time," Irina said, amused. "If I ever wanted to know one of her deepest darkest secrets, all you had to do was stay awake longer then she did."

"When she got older though, she put a block on her mind before she went to sleep so that she wouldn't do that when she was on the same room with someone," Harry replied, remembering watching as she would do that before falling asleep in their tent.

"But she forgot to do that last night, since she was so exhausted," Ginny said, sitting gently on the end of her bed.

"What did she say?" Draco asked quietly.

"She said, 'Mine. Not choosing. ALL mine!'" the red headed witch informed them.

Draco raised his eyebrow, surprised, yet intrigued, wondering what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.

Irina laughed loudly, startling them all, including the twin that was near the edge of the bed, causing him to jump and fall off of the bed, nearly landing on Dracos feet.

"Harry! I thought you placed a silencing charm around the bed!" Ginny scolded her fiancee'.

"I placed once around Mione, not Fred and George!" he replied defensively.

"Merlins beard, what was that noise?" the heap of legs, arms and red hair asked from the floor, rubbing his head.

"It was me. I apologize," Irina replied, smiling unashamed.

"Were you chocking?" the twin asked, causing Draco to snort.

Irina glared at the blonde, causing him to step further away from her.

"No, I was not chocking," she replied, huffing loudly as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"She sounds just like Hermione when she gets irritated at me," the twin said, grinning.

"It's probably because they've spent so much time together, George," Ginny replied, amused. "This is Irina Krum."

George's eyes widened, realization dawning in them. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you. If I've offended you, I apologize. It's just that you startled me awake with your, um, laughing"

Irina unfolded her arms and looked the twin up and down. Merlin, NeNe! How did you get so bloody lucky to have a bloke like him come after you, she thought, smiling. "I think you're forgiven."

They heard movement from the bed, all of their attention shifting to the witch who was stretching like a cat.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione smiled in her half awake, half asleep state, having had the best dream ever. She had been surrounded by the most beautiful things, everyone one of them asking her to choose them. She hadn't wanted to choose, not wanting to give up any of the great things she had. I wonder why I can't remember anymore of the dream, she thought as she burrowed against something comfortable and warm. It smelled wonderful, like peppermint and fire. When did I get a body pillow, she wondered. Suddenly the pillow put it's arm around her, causing her to quickly open her eyes.

"Morning, love," Fred said quietly, gently moving a strand of hair from in front of her face.

"Fred? What are you doing here? What if Professor McGonagall finds you here? What if she expels me? Where's George? What if, oh Merlin that feels nice," she moaned in the middle if her frantic rant as Fred made soothing circles all over her back, causing her to forget what she had been saying.

Fred grinned, moving closer so that he could reach more of her back. She moaned again, causing him to shift a little, so that the problem that he was having in his pants wouldn't be so evident to Hermione. He leaned in and kissed her gently.

"Really?" a voice asked, sounding amused.

Hermione jumped, surprised by the unexpected voice that was in her room. She sat up quickly, leaning against her head board when she did, becoming dizzy.

"Are you okay, love?" Fred asked from beside her, gently moving a stray hair away from her face once again.

"Just sat up a bit too quickly, that's all," she replied, slowly opening her eyes once again. She took in the people who surrounded her bed, all of them looking rather concerned. The events of the previous day came crashing back to her, causing her to glance around the room to see if Viktor was there was well.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked, taking her hand.

"I'm feeling alright, I think," she replied, moving her legs slowly. "It would probably be a good thing for me to stand up for a few moments."

"No, it wouldn't be," George insisted from the end of the bed, right by her feet.

"At least not until Madam Pomfey comes and has a look at you to make sure you are okay," Fred added.

"When will that be?" Hermione wondered, never being one to lay around.

"She should be here around ten. We wanted to make sure you had plenty of rest," Harry answered, grinning.

Hermione looked at her watch and sighed. That was still over an hour away. What was she suppose to do until then?

"Do you need to use the little witches room?" another voice asked.

Hermione's head turned quickly when she heard the unexpected voice. "Irina! What are you doing here?"

Irina grinned broadly, moving Draco over so that she could hug her friend tightly. "I came to check on you, of course."

"How long do you get to stay? I want to show you Hogwarts and let you get to know...everybody," she said, her checks turning slightly pink as she realized that the people she wanted to introduce her to were right there.

Irina grinned, taking in the identical grinning nutters and the cocky, smirking pureblood. "I'm staying for awhile."

Hermione grinned, happy that she would get to have all of her best friends together for the first time ever.

"Well, do you?" Irina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Do I what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Do you need to visit the little witches room?" she asked again, grinning when she made Hermione blush again. She loved doing that.

"Well, now that you mention it, I suppose I do," the Gryfindor witch replied. "But I don't know how I will get there, because these guys won't let me walk."

"I'll carry you," four identical voices replied, causing Irina and Ginny to laugh.

"Why's is Ms. Hermione awake?" a squeaky voice demanded to know.

They all turned to see an annoyed Mitzi standing by the door, with her hands on her hips.

"Mitzi, I woke up. They didn't disturb me. Not at all," Hermione told the house elf.

"Are you's sure? I can kick thems out so you can have a good rest," the cute little creature offered.

"No!" Hermione quickly replied, with more enthusiasm then she realized. "I mean, I don't mind if they are here."

"Okays. Does you need anything? Breakfast should be here's soon," Mitzi asked.

"I need to go to the restroom, but they said I can't walk until Madam Pomfey has a look at me."

Mitzi smiled at the wizards that surrounded her Ms. Hermione. "Mitzi is glad that the boys that wants you are not always using their little heads. I's glad that they wants to take care of Ms. Hermione."

"Mitzi!" Hermione cried, blushing furiously at what the house elf had just said.

Irina and Ginny were once again laughing as the wizards in the room smiled at the little creature.

"I's just stating the truth," she insisted, shrugging in the same manner as Irina often did. She then walked over to Hermione, grabbed the witches hand and snapped her fingers.

"Where'd they go?" Fred wondered.

"My guess would be to the bathroom," Draco replied.

Suddenly there was a tapping at the window. Ginny walked over and allowed the owl in.

"Whose it from?" Harry wondered, as his fiancee opened the letter that was addressed to her.

"Luna," she replied absentmindedly. Her eyes widened as she read what her future sister-in-law had written.

"What are you reading?" Hermione wondered from her seat back on her bed.

Ginny looked up at the bright young witch, biting her tongue so that she wouldn't say anything. This wasn't something that needed to be talked about in front of Draco and the twins. Plus, she wanted to go get more information from Luna.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a letter from Luna," she insisted flippantly, walking over to her closet and quickly pulling out clothes as she levitated her purse, shoes and school bag towards her. "I better go to class. That way I can get your assignments for you. I will see you all later. Irina, it was great to meet you. I look forward to getting to know you. Fred, George, make sure you clean my pillows of any slobber you got on it. Harry, come help me change," she said hurriedly as she ran out of the room.

"What, in the name of Merlin was that?" Irina wondered, looking at the door that had just been closed.

"That was Ginny trying to hide something that she doesn't want us to know yet," Hermione replied, raising an eyebrow. She wondered what Luna had told her that she didn't want her to know.

"Harry Potter!" George exclaimed at the raven haired wizard who was opening the door to exit.

"Yes?" he asked innocently, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"Don't you dare help our little sister change!" Fred replied, slowly pulling his wand out of his pocket.

"We love you," George started.

"And we know that you are going to be our brother in law soon," Fred added.

"But you are not going to help her change!" they insisted together.

Harry looked at the twins and thought of his fiancee and her wrath. It was a very easy decision for the Boy That Lived. "Sorry, but I think I would rather have you two irritated at me then her. She's a lot scarier."

"What?" George asked, surprised looking at the empty doorway.

"We aren't scary?" Fred wondered, sounding slightly hurt.

"No you aren't at all," Draco confirmed, earning glares from the pair.

"You may not be scary, but you defiantly make up for that in the looks department," Irina informed them.

The pair looked over at the black haired witch and grinned.

"Thank you, My lady," they replied together, bowing dramatically towards the girl.

Irina laughed at their antics, stopping abruptly when she turned to look at her best friend. If looks could kill, Hermione's glare would have had her dead faster then even Voldemore himself could say Avada Kadava.

"What's wrong, love?" Draco asked, trying to hide the smirk that was threatening to break across his face. He had silently watched the exchange between the twins and the Bulgarian witch and had observed the look of anger and pain that had passed across Hermione's face. He didn't like to see her hurt, but if it meant that there was even a tiny possibility that the twins would be out of his way, then he would just have to make sure to ease her pain.

"I'm fine," Hermione insisted, blushing slightly at getting caught glaring at one of her oldest girl friends.

"Are you sure?" George wondered, quickly coming to her side.

"Do you need one of us to go get Madam Pomfy early for some pain potion?" Fred asked.

"I said I'm fine," she snapped quickly, regretting it instantly She saw the look of pain flash across the identical handsome faces. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just don't like laying here."

"That's understandable," Fred insisted, smiling as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"We would be the same way," George agreed.

"She's probably hungry," Irina added, earning a sincere smile from Hermione. The black haired witch knew that was her apologizing. She smiled back at the girl who was being doted upon, winking to know she forgave her.

"Here's is your breakfast," Mitzi replied.

Hermione smiled, never feeling so happy to have something to put in her mouth. She didn't know what had come over her. She never became jealous like that, not where Irina was concerned.

She knew one thing though. Hermione would be very happy when she could walk and go think by herself. She needed to know what had caused her body to shut down as it had and why on earth she had felt such intense jealousy when Irina had flirted with Fred and George.

**I hope you liked this chapter. I know I'm not updating as often as people would like, however, I'm updating this one a lot more often then my other two. :) I still don't have another beta reader for this story. If you are interested, please let me know. I didn't get a lot of reviews last chapter. I don't know if you have lost interest or not. If you have, that's fine, but if not, please take a few seconds to let me know what you thought about this chapter and if you have any ideas. :) Its helps me write more quickly. :) Thank you to all of those who have stuck by this story since the beginning. :) You all rock! Happy Reading.**


	34. Chapter 34

**I own nothing. This is not beta read...sorry. **

Chapter 33

"Why is this happening to me?" Hermione asked dramatically.

Madam Pomfey smiled at the young witch, shaking her head. "Ms. Granger, it's hardly a death sentence. You are just on bed rest for a few more days."

"But I have so many things that need to be done," she argued, hoping to persuade the nurse to change her diagnosis.

"Those things can wait until your body has time to rest," the older witch replied.

"I feel fine now," Hermione insisted, irritably.

"Perhaps, but you have been under a high amount of stress lately and your body has decided to completely shut down. The best thing for that is good, old fashioned rest."

Hermione sighed dramatically, throwing her arm over her eyes. She wasn't usually one to be so whiny, but there were a million things that she needed to do. "Isn't there some kind of potion or spell that can be used to replenish my energy so that I can resume my regular activities?"

Madam Pomfey raised an eyebrow at the bright young witch knowing she already knew the answer. "Of course there are energy regenerating potions and you will be taking some. But those alone will not do the job completely."

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, looking round the room that she would be stuck in for a few days. Surely there was a way for her to get out of bed rest.

What am I thinking, she thought to herself. She looked over at the nurse, who was arranging the potions that she would need to take in the order in which she needed to take them. All I have to do is wait until she leaves and I can get up. No one will ever know that she put me on bed rest and I can go about my business, she assured herself, smirking.

Suddenly there was a soft pop, surprising both of the witches.

"Mitzi knows that Ms. Hermione is the brightest witch in a long times. But she should know that house elfs always knows whats going ons. I knows you think no one knows this nice nursey lady said bed rest and you was just thinking you can tricks us."

Hermione sat, mouth opened, speechless. How did Mitzi know?

Mitzi's mummy taughts her to listen to her humans thoughts, so she one step in front of what her master needs, a small voice said inside her head.

"Merlins beard," the young witch breathed, completely shocked that the elf knew such powerful magic. She knew that house elves were known to have some very powerful magic, but she didn't know they were capable of this.

"Did you think that you could pretend that I didn't place you on bed rest?" Madam Pomfey asked, sounding slightly amused. "If you didn't know that there are a number of wizards waiting outside of that door, them you must be more out of it then I originally thought."

Hermione sighed loudly, extremely aggravated. If that was true, and she was pretty sure it was, there was no way she would even be able to give herself a bath.

"Ms. Granger, if it helps, you can do an hour of work twice a day, from your bed. But if you start to get tired and do not stop, I'll add days," the nurse said.

Hermione smiled, thankful thy she would be able to at least keep up with her classes. "Thank you so much! I promise that I will rest if I start to feel tired."

"Mitzi will makes sure she is timed," the little elf assured the nurse, who smiled down at the little creature affectionately.

"Thank you, Mitzi," Madam Pomfey replied. "Now take these three potions, once a day. This one with breakfast, this one with lunch, and this one with dinner," she instructed, holding up each bottle as she spoke. Hermione nodded, taking in all of the directions.

"I will be back in three days. If you are well rested and have done everything that I've told you, you'll be off of bed rest."

"I will," Hermione promised.

The nurse nodded her goodbye and walked to the door, opening it quickly, causing the group of nosy people to quickly right themselves before they fell. The nurse smirked, quickly moving pass them, towards the Headmistress' office to inform her of Hermione's bed rest.

Before Hermione could say anything to the group, Mitzi put herself in between the bed and the door.

"Nows you listen. Ms. Hermione needs to rest. Shes doesn't need any stress or to be getting upset. I knows she's will be bored, so you can stay, but dos not upset her," the fiery house elf warned them, her small, boney finger waving at each of them.

"Mitzi, I'm sure they will behave," Hermione assured her as the group moved towards her bed.

"Maybe, but I'm not sures about those loud red heads yet," the blur of pink and purple stated as she hurried to fluff up Hermione's pillows before she sat up.

George and Fred laughed loudly, causing Hermione to truly smile for the first time since the nurse had placed her on bed rest. She loved the way they smiled. They didn't hold back, or worry about being dignified. They laughed with their whole being. It's the way everyone should laugh, she thought as she thanked Mitzi for helping her with her pillows.

"So, your stuck in that bed for three days?" Irina asked, smiling sympathetically at her friend.

"Unfortunately," Hermione replied, sighing.

"At least you will be able to do some work, love," Draco offered, gently pushing a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"But I have so much more to do then just two hours worth of work! Not only do I have NEWTS to worry about, but everyday classes too. The Halloween ball is only a few weeks away and we still need to come up with a committee to help with the different areas that we need help. There's the beginning stages of the other three balls, as well, that we haven't even began to deal with. And on top of all of that rubbish, I have to decide who I want to marry and plan a wedding!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Wow, love," George said, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Slow down," Fred added, rubbing her feet.

"You do not have to do all of that on your own," George promised.

"We'll be more then happy to help with everything," Fred declared, smiling at the flustered witch.

"We all will help," Draco agreed from the other side of her bed, gentle running his fingers through her hair in a soothing motion.

"But you have your own life that you need to deal with," she protested, not wanting any of then to put their life on hold just to deal with her issues.

"Silly, brilliant, witch," George chuckled, rubbing soothing circled on the back of her hand.

"You've been our life for awhile now, love," Fred smiled.

"So we can deal with you while helping you," George declared, causing Hermione to laugh.

"We can just divide up the work, however you like," Draco added.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at the men that surrounded her bed.

Irina stood back and watched the interaction between the three wizards and her best friend. The way they had each taken a spot around her, not being able to stop touching her, was something extremely interesting to her. They weren't arguing about who would do what or who had more of a right to be there. Their main focus was Hermione and what she needed, their own wants or needs completely forgotten about. They must all have genuine feelings for her, the young witch thought, surprised.

"Irina?" a voice called to her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Hermione wondered, looking at her with concern.

Irina smiled brightly and walked towards her friend. "I'm fine. Just in deep thought, I guess. I would love to help you with whatever you need me to do." She walked over to the bed that had been magically added to the room, where her things were and pulled out a piece of parchment and muggle pen.

"Let's make a list of the things you need to do and then we can divide them up. We can work on it in here, that way you won't feel as if we are trying to take over you projects," Irina suggested.

"Sounds brilliant."

**So what do you think? I know that this chapter is shorter then the last couple, but I tried to get this out faster then the last ones. I know it wasn't by much, but I do think that I updated more quickly this time. As you see, I still don't have another beta. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Please review, so I know you are still interested in this story and if you have any ideas, let me know that too. :) Happy Reading.**


	35. Chapter 35

**I own nothing.**

In High Demand Chapter 34

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed as she read through the old tome that Luna had in front of them. "What does this mean?"

Luna smiled at her future sister-in-law and shrugged. "I'm honestly not sure what everything means, but this part is pretty self explanatory," she replied, pointing at a section.

"Well, how do we find out?" the red head asked.

"We should probably take it to someone who understands things like this," Luna replied.

"Do you think we should tell Hermione?"

"She's on bed rest," a voice said, startling the girls.

"Bloody hell, Ron! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Ginny exclaimed, slapping her brother's arm as he came and sat beside Luna at the table they had taken up in the back of the library.

"You can sneak up on me any time, Lover," Luna said dreamily, leaning over and planting a mind blowing kiss on his lips.

"Oh, would you get a room!" Ginny exclaimed, irritated.

"Someones got her knickers in a twist," her brother teased.

"Yes, well, I think that you might too, once you read this. If you can understand it, that is."

Ron threw a not-so-nice gesture towards his baby sister before reading what was in front of them. His eyes grew bigger with each passing paragraph.

"Bloody hell," he whispered, leaning back in his chair.

"Exactly!" Ginny agreed, throwing her hands up in relief, finally getting the reaction she was wanting.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"I don't have a clue."

"It's not our decision to decide what to do," Luna said calmly, causing both of the red heads to look at her like she was mental.

"It may not be our decision, but I'm not going to let anything happen to," Ginny started.

"Nothing is going to happen," Luna promised.

"How do YOU know!" Ginny exclaimed. She loved Luna with all of her heart, but she was one of the strangest people she had ever known. Most people would be so confused and upset after reading something like that, especially when it had to do with people you love.

"Don't yell at her," Ron warned his sister quietly, grabbing his fiancee's hand. "Love, why do you say that?"

"This is a decision that will be thought over with much research, especially since a certain witch is involved. We need to know about the part we don't understand," Luna replied.

"We should probably let Hermione read this," Ginny said, gathering the book and the pieces of parchment that they had been writing notes down on.

"I don't think that they will let you give that to her until she's off bed rest," Ron informed her, stopping his sister in her tracks.

"Who won't?" she wondered, putting on hand on her hip in a very Molly Weasley type way.

"Where should I begin?" he asked with a smirk.

Ginny growled angrily, slamming the book back down on the table.

"That's a very old book," Luna informed Ginny.

"Sorry," the red head mumbled. "So what do we do now? I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"We should go let someone read this and explain the parts we don't understand," Ron replied.

"Who?" Ginny wondered.

Luna smiled and stood, gently gathering the materials that Ginny had dropped. "I think that I have an idea," she said, walking toward the library exit, leaving Ron and Ginny little left to do but follow.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hermione sighed, bored almost to the point of tears. She had been by herself, in her room, for most of the day. Professor McGonagall had kicked everyone out a few moments after Madam Pomfrey had informed her of Hermione's bed rest. She had sent Irina off to her new classes, Draco off to his, and the twins were banished to the shop, not to return until the next day. Mitzi had been the only living creature she had seen or been able to talk to and even she had left for awhile at one point.

It was mid-afternoon when Hermione decided to take one of her hours of work. She reached over to her night stand and pulled out a notebook of parchment and her favorite quill, deciding to finish a paper she had started a few weeks earlier.

After a few minutes of work there was a quite pop that startled the young witch.

"Mitzi, I just start about fifteen minutes ago, I promise. Please don't make me stop," she begged, not looking up from her work.

"I's know that you just started, Ms. Hermione. I's not going to stop you," the little elf promised.

Hermione looked up from her work and smiled at the small creature and noticed a big box with a massive ribbon on top. "What's that?"

Mitzi smiled brightly and snapped her fingers, levitating the box toward the bed. "It's a present for yous."

Hermione's eyes widened. "For me? What for?"

"There's a card for yous," Mitzi replied, handing the card over as Hermione placed her notebook of parchment aside.

She opened the card and began reading.

My Dearest Hermione,

I just wanted to apologize for the way things transpired a few days ago. That is most certainly NOT how I wanted things to go and it's completely my own fault. I am so sorry. I hope that you can find it in your heart to give me another chance.

I was informed that you've been placed on bed rest. I feel that this is, in part, my doing. I know that you have several things that you feel that you need to do and that you get bored extremely easily. Please except this gift that I sent with Mitzi. It should help you with the boredom when they won't let you work from bed.

I hope to hear from you soon.

I love you,

Viktor

Hermione sat the card down and looked over at the massive box that sat beside her bed.

"Can it be placed on my bed?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, no Ms. Hermione! Yous can sit on the side of your bed and opens it, though," Mitzi answered, magically moving the box closer.

Hermione sat up and twisted her body around, carefully placing her feet between the bed and the present. She pulled to bow carefully off of the massive box, setting it aside before moving to the beautiful wrapping paper. She carefully pulled at the paper, moving her finger underneath the seems, revealing a box.

"I's will open the rest of the way with magic, if that's alright with you, Ms. Hermione. It would be bad if Miss got hurt while opening gift," Mitzi said, looking at Hermione for permission.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, but nodded, curious as to what could possibly be in that box that could hurt her. Mitzi snapped her fingers and the cardboard disappeared. The contents of the box, which had obviously been shrunk, started moving themselves about, expanding to their full capacity.

"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked.

"Dos you likes it Ms. Hermione? Dos you?" Mitzi asked, jumping around excitedly.

"I can't believe that he would spend so much on me," she whispered.

Mitzi smiled and patted Hermione's leg. "He loves you."

Hermione couldn't believe that Viktor had bought her a muggle television. It was expensive to get it converted to be able to play in a magical building. And the TV itself must have cost him a fortune, seeing as it covered half of the wall.

"He really does, doesn't he?"

Mitzi nodded, grinned and snapped her fingers, revealing another box, about the size of a shoe box. "Here is something thats goes with that."

Hermione shook her head and opened the box that had been placed on her lap. She gasped when she saw at least 25 DVDs, one catching her eye immediately.

"He remembered."

"Of course, he remembers, Ms. Hermione. Any wizard who truly loves his witch remembers her favorite things," Mitzi replied, gently lifting the box from the young witch's lap and moving it to the entertainment center that held the magical electronics. She quickly picked up the first DVD of the set and put it in the device.

"Ms. Hermione needs to rest now," the house elf insisted, moving to the bed to help Hermione to relax back on her pillows. Mitzi placed the remote controls on the night stand and popped out of the room, leaving her to her thoughts.

**Thank you to SiriuslyMe3 for beta reading this for me. :) I hope you like this chapter, everyone. Sorry it took so long, but life has been crazy. My grandpa is in the hospital in Missouri, meaning my mother went up there to be with them, meaning that I'm momma to my little brother and sister until she gets back. Please review...they will get me through watching my siblings play Lego Harry Potter 4-7. :) (I love HP, as you can tell, but video games and I do not get along.) Happy Reading. **


	36. Chapter 36

Howdy everybody! Please don't hate me. I know that I hate when I have a favorite story and the author doesn't update for a year and a half. But then I remember that life does happen and somethings can't be helped. I am truly sorry. But there is good news.

I am putting this note up on all of my stories. I want to finish all of my stories, but I just can't work on all of them at once. I'm not Hermione or Alice and able to do a billion things at one time. So, with that said, I want to take a poll of sorts to see which story everyone wants me to finish first. The one with the most votes by this Friday, December 21, 2012, will be finished first. Then second, and so on and so forth. So, vote by reviewing this note so I know what you guys want. I love you all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. Oh...and Happy Reading! :)


	37. Chapter 37

**I own nothing! :) **

In High Demand Chapter 35

"I'm so glad to be out of that bloody room!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling up at the sun. It was a cool early October day, but she didn't mind the breeze. It just felt amazing to be free.

"I bet you are," Irina smiled at the witch as she spread her arm out beside her and twirled in circles.

"She's going to start singing before we know it," Draco grinned, happy to see her so happy.

"And if I do?"

"Then I'll join you," he replied, his famous smirk appearing.

"That I would pay to see," Irina declared, laughing at the thought of the Slytherin and Gryfindor bursting in song out on the lawn.

"What do you think, Hermione? Should we give them a show and make some gallons?" Draco asked.

"Let's leave the singing to the princess' and nuns," Hermione decided, smiling at her friends. "So can I finally look at the notes you made for the Halloween ball?" she asked as she took a set under her favorite tree.

"Nene, you were there with us as we wrote all of it down," Irina reminded her best friend.

"Yes, but I like to see the work in front of me. It helps me think better."

Draco handed her the notes that they had put together while she was on bed rest.

"So we need to get together the committee," she started.

"It's done," Irina replied.

"Good," Hermione grinned. "Now we need to put together the announcements to be placed in each house,"

"That's already been done. It should be back from the printer later on today," Draco answered.

"Oh okay," one third of the Golden Trio smiled, checking off another thing on their list.

"What about,"

"Everything on the list has been completed," Irina answered.

"Really?" Hermione asked, sounding disappointed. "Then what am I suppose to do to help with the Halloween ball?"

"Show up and look gorgeous," Draco replied, kissing her forehead.

Hermione sighed, smiling up at him. "Alright, but the Christmas ball will be amazing."

"Hey," Irina protested, crossing her hands over her chest. "Are you saying that this one isn't going to be amazing? I did a lot of the work here."

Hermione laughed, shaking her head at the Romanian women. "Of course it will be great. I just wish I had a little more input into, I guess."

Draco smiled at the witch and lightly squeezed her hand. "You will with the Christmas one," he assured her.

There was a comfortable silence among the three friends as they enjoyed the early autumn afternoon. The lawn was full of other students as well, enjoying one of the last nice days before the notoriously freezing winters in Scottland.

A beautiful white owl swooped down and sat in the middle of the three friends, disturbing the relaxed atmosphere.

"It's for you Irina," Draco announced, as he handed her the envelope from the owl, who quickly flew away.

"Whose it from?" Hermione wondered, leaning over closer to the black haired witch.

"It's from the Ministry of Magic," she whispered, dropping the letter on the ground. "I should have known when I decided to come here that this would happen! If it wasn't for my brother, I would still be back at home, doing what I love. Now I have to get MARRIED, because of him!" The Bulgarian women quickly got up and started pacing in front of the pair, speaking quickly in a combination of Bulgarian and Greek.

"What is she saying?" Draco asked Hermione, sounding slightly scared.

"I'm not sure," Hermione admitted, watching as her friends face begin to turn red. "I think she's planning either on castrating her brother or making his body look like an elephants butt hair."

"That would be entertaining," the Slytherin smirked, earning a light smack on the arm.

The pair sat quietly and watched the firey young witch rant and pace for a good ten minutes before she sighed and looked at her companions.

"Sorry you had to see that," Irina told them, taking a seat beside Hermione and sighing.

"It's alright," Hermione assured her.

"No, it's not, but thank you. I should have known that this would happen when I decided to come to Hogwarts."

"What, exactly, did the letter say?" Draco asked, earning glares from both of the witches.

"I thought your name was Draco Malfoy, not Ronald Weasley," Irina replied snidely.

"Isn't it obvious what it says?" Hermione asked, sighing. "She has to get married as well."

"And I bloody well had no plans of ever getting married, let alone having babies," she huffed, scrunching her nose in discuss when she said babies. "If I didn't know better, I would think my mother planned this whole thing just to get a grandchild out of me."

"You know your mum wouldn't do that to you," the female member of the Golden Trio stated, trying her best to hold back a grin. The situation wasn't funny at all, but thinking about Aphrodite wanting a grandchild and doing anything to get one, was something she could see her doing.

"I know," Irina grumbled. "I just really do not want to get married." Sighing, she got up off of the ground and gathered her things.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"I had better go let my mother know. She'll probably want to start planning the wedding."

"But you aren't dating anyone and you don't have any prospects," he replied, confused.

"Not that you know," Irina smirked, winking at the pair.

"Tell your mum hello," Hermione laughed, shaking her head as she watched one of her best girlfriends sway her hips back to the castle.

**Howdy! So I'm kind of back. A lot has happened since the last time that I updated. This chapter is short and honestly, I'm in a whole other place then I was when I started this story. This chapter was hell to write and I think it stinks, but here's something. If you want another chapter, ya'll have to review and tell me what you want next. Who do you want Hermione to end up with? Let me know, people. :) I love you all and I promise I won't disappear again. I have no job right now (which sucks) so I literally have nothing else to do. So help a girl out, will you. Happy Reading. **


	38. Chapter 38

**I own nothing. **

Ch. 36

Hermione looked around her and sighed happily. The books, empty tables, the quiet and peaceful atmosphere was something she had missed immensely while she was on bed rest. Sure, it was quite in her room, Mitzi had made sure of it. And yes, there were tons of books in her room as well, but there was just something about a library. Especially the library at Hogwarts.

The book-worm beauty sat her book bag down and pulled out her favorite chair at the table. She didn't have a lot of work to make up from while she was on bed rest, thanks to Ginny and Irina.

Irina. Hermione felt like it was all her fault that she was having to get married and have a family. When the Bulgarian princess had gotten her petition, Hermione had tried to get her to move back to France where she could continue on at her dream of design, both in the muggle world and in the magical one. But Irina had stubbornly refused, stating that she had come to Britain to help her make a decision and that she wasn't leaving until Hermione had a ring on her finger and a white dress or robe on, walking down the aisle. When she had persisted, Aphrodite had mailed Hermione a rather terrifying Howler, stating that it was not her fault that Irina had to get married and that she was a big girl who could make her own decisions. Thankfully the Howler was quickly followed by piece of baklava, so Hermione hadn't been too upset.

Shaking her head of the thought of the delicious dessert, the Gryffindor witch looked down at her books and began on a paper that Professor Chaffin had given out. She had asked the class to write a paper on what, in the students opinion, was the three major keys in a happy marriage and to explain why they felt that way.

Hermione made a list of somethings that she thought would be important in a good marriage, coming up with several. She was having trouble narrowing it down to just three though, finding there were really five things, to her that was important in a good marriage.

Love, respect, trust, team work, and passion. She really couldn't narrow it down anymore then that. Those were things that she saw in all of the great relationships that she had the privilege to take a peek into. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley loved each other fiercely, they respected each others opinions, they trusted each other to make important decisions if the other wasn't around. They had team work when dealing with the house hold things and the children. Hermione blushed any time she thought of the passion she heard from their room when they forgot to place a silencing charm around their room, or when Mr. Weasley would come through the kitchen and pinch Mrs. Weasley on the bum.

Hermione sighed, wondering if she could find any of the those things with the men that were interested in her. There were defiantly signs of all of the attributes when she was around all of the young men. She respected all of them, in different ways. And there was passion there, with all of them, sometimes more then she could handle. The other three, Love, trust and team work were yet to be determined. It will come with time, she assured herself.

I already feel love for all four of them, she thought, surprising herself with the thought. But it was true. She did feel love for all of them.

She loved the way that Fred and George were carefree and always working to make her happy and to make her laugh. She loved their work ethic and their ability to make every problem into an adventure.

She always smiled when she thought about Draco and everything that he had to over come to be the man that he was today. She loved the way he would light up the room when he smiled a real smile. And she loved that she could talk to him and he could keep up with the conversation without getting bored or wanting to change the subject.

Viktor, Hermione thought, putting her head in her hands. She still hadn't talked to him since he took her out of Hogwarts to Irina's house. The wonderful TV and DVD's had been a great help in her bed rest, keeping her mind occupied. It was little things like that which had made her fall in love this him all those years before. She loved his thoughtfulness and the way that he really did treat her like a princess. He never let her take herself too seriously, as she often did. And he always took care of her, when she was the one that usually took care of others. She really did still love him.

Setting aside her paper, which was almost finished, Hermione pulled out another piece of parchment and begin writing a letter that she should have written a week before.

Aphrodite loved both of her children equally. All good mother's did. But there was always that one child that you would either need extra attention, or extra guiadence. That child in the Krum household was Viktor.

When the kids were younger, Viktor always needed the extra healing spell or the extra attention on the broom from this father. He always needed the extra push to do well in school, until he had made it onto the Quidditch team. He knew then that if he didn't keep his grades satisfactory, then there would be no Quidditch.

Now, even though he was an adult, he needed his mother's guidance and advice. Now more than ever. He had shown up in her study, distraught and beside himself because he still hadn't received a word from Hermione.

"Dear, you know her. She's got a lot of her plate right now. Hermione will write you when she is ready," Aphrodite assured her son as she stired the sauce that was on the stove. She did her best mothering in the kitchen while she experimented with this ingrediant and that.

"I just thought that she would have written me by now. Irina said that she loved the gift I sent to her. So did Mitzi," Viktor told her, stealing one of the mushrooms off of the cutting board, earning a swat with a spoon from his mother.

"Oi!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his hand.

"You know better then to still things off of this cutting board that I have cut up," she stated, adding the mushrooms and onions to the pot. She knew how to cook just fine with magic, but Aphrodite enjoyed the manual task of cooking. It always had a better taste to it, in her opinion.

"And of course she loved the gift that you sent her. You have amazing taste. But gifts and kind words are not going to win your witch back. Her heart was broken by you, Dear, no matter how much you don't want to remember."

Viktor sighed, laying his head down in his hands. He knew that his mother was right, as she often was. She just hoped that Hermione would give him a chance to prove that breaking up with her had been one of the biggest mistakes of his life. If she did, he would spend everyday making up for all the time that they had lost and he would never again make her sad.

As the mother and son sat pondering what had been said, there was a light tapping at the window. Viktor got up from the stool he had sat on and walked over to open the window. The beautiful owl flew in and landed on the counter where Viktor had been sitting.

"It's for you, Dear," his mother informed him, turning back to her sauce that was on the stove.

The Quidditch star untied the parchment from the owls talons quickly, curious as to who would be owling him. The messenger looked at the wizard questioningly and then pecked his hand twice, then looked up at the him as if to convey a message. The bird then bowed to Aphrodite and flew back out the window, not waiting for a reply.

"That hurt," Viktor stated, looking down to where the little bird had pecked him as he opened the parchment.

"Whose it from?" his mother wondered.

Viktor grinned when he saw the hand writing. He knew that writing anywhere. He had several letters hidden in a special trunk in his room back in London.

"It's from my princess," he stated happily, walking over to the table in the corner of the kitchen for a little more privacy.

_Dear Viktor,_

_I hope this letter finds you well and that Austen did not chose to peck you. He does that to people that he doesn't know and to people that he thinks might hurt me. He is very protective. Its something that he learned from Harry and Ron, I suppose._

_I am sorry that it took me so long to write to you. With being on bed rest and then trying to get back into my normal routine, it was difficult to get anything done. Know that just because you didn't hear from me, does not mean that I didn't think about you, or anything that you have said. I thought about it a lot._

_You were my first love, Viktor. I'm not sure if you knew that , but its true. You were the first boy that ever saw me as a girl, not just an answer to a question on your homework. You showed me what it was like to be taken care of, to be cherished. I had never felt like that before I met you. _

_I was so in love with you. I remember day dreaming about the day that I would be a professor at either a muggle university or here at Hogwarts and you would own your a Quidditch team or be a coach of a professional team. No one would ever think that I would do something like plan the names of our unborn children, but I did. I would sit, with the curtain closed around my bed, and doodle their names. (If you tell any one this, I will deny it. I'm sure that no one would believe you. Even now, there aren't many that think that I could act like a normal girl.) _

_I was devastated when you broke things off with me. I understood that you wanted to focus on your career; your work ethic is one of the things that I love about you. I just wish that I wouldn't have fallen as hard for you as I did. Or that you would have been as in love with me as I was with you. I know that Irina says that you've never stopped loving me, but sometimes I wonder if she's just saying that because she wants me to be her sister. I really don't know._

_With all of that being said, I have made a decision. I will consider your petition, as I am with Draco and George. I expect to be getting a true petition from Fred soon and I will be considering that one as well. I want you to know this before you get excited and think that it is a sure thing. That way if you decide to back out, you can. I want to be totally honest with you. _

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your Princess,_

_Hermione_

Viktor let out a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding. He was so lucky to have Hermione say that she would consider his petition. That means that I can begin to try and make up for the things that I have done, he thought.

"I didn't know that she thought of baby names," Aphrodite stated excitedly, causing her son to jump. He didn't know that she had been reading the letter over his shoulder.

"Mum, she really doesn't want anyone to know that," he scolded his mother, taking the parchment, folding it and putting it in his pocket.

"I'm not going to tell a soul," she promised happily, dancing back to the stove. She was extremely pleased with the letter that Hermione had written her son. The bright witch had given him a proper tongue lashing, letting him know exactly what he had done to her. But she had also laid her heart out on the line again.

"I know that, but I doubt she wanted you to know."

"I won't tell her that I know either," Aphrodite said, pouring her finished sauce over the meat. "I'm just glad that she's going to consider you petition.

"I am as well," Viktor grinned, walking over and kissing his mothers cheek. He turned to head over to the fireplace to go back to his home in London to prepare a letter to send back to his princess.

"Oh and son?" his mother called to him before he called out his apartment.

"Yes, Mum?"

"Don't you dare turn this chance into a pile of rubbish."

**Howdy! I'm proud of myself! :) I hope you liked this chapter. I thought it was far for Viktor to have a little bit of attention. :) What would you like to see next? Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews really do help me write. Happy Reading. **


	39. Chapter 39

**I own nothing. **

Ch. 37

Luna Lovegood had always been a strange bird, or at least that's what everyone called her. In all actuality, she was one of the most brilliant witch in all of the magical world. Sure Hermione was known as the 'brightest witch of her age' and she was. But the way that Luna's mind work was beyond anything that Hermione would ever be able to grasp. The book-worm was far too logical for her own good.

When the Ravenclaw first began observing Hermione and then many men that fancied her, she knew that she would end up with more then one. In the beginning she was convinced that she would just be with the twins in a triad. Triads were not uncommon in the wizarding world, but not many people talked about as most wizards and witches liked their privacy. The longer she watched the other brilliant witch, however, Luna began to remember a book that she had found in her father's office when she was younger. She had read it front to back because of all of the brilliant colors and amazingly rare stories of the magical world. Luna believed that Hermione was apart of one of those rare and beautiful stories she had read about.

When Ginny and her lover had agreed to go with her to talk with someone who might know what was going on, they didn't know really who she was talking about. So when they got to the entrance of the Headmistress, they looked at her.

"Professor McGonagall should know what this means and if she doesn't then there are portraits on her wall that will know," Luna had assured them. The Ravenclaw witch had tapped on the gargoyle, since they had not been summoned or asked to come to the office. It was the polite thing to do.

After a moment, the former head of Gryffindor came down the stairs to greet her students.

"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Weasley, Ms. Lovegood. To what do I owe the honor?" she asked, greeting each other students with a nod.

"Professor, the Weasleys' here and I have been observing something odd going on between a friend of ours and the men that are pursuing her. They all seem to be infected with Wrackspurts when they are around one another. The situation that she is in, made me remember a book that I read when I was younger. I was wondering if you would help us understand a few things in this passage that we aren't able to understand," Luna informed the professor in her carefree voice.

Minerva raised an eyebrow at the Wrackspurts, but listened none the less and took the opened book that the young Ravenclaw handed her. Pulling her glasses up over her eyes, she began to read the passage that Luna had pointed out to her. As she read it, her eyes grew wide and she became a bit pale. She gently shut the book and handed it back to Luna.

"You are referring to Ms. Granger, aren't you?" she asked the trio, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes, we are. Can you explain this to us?" Ron asked.

"I do not think that her relationship to any of her young men is any of your business." McGonagall informed them in no uncertain terms.

"It is though, Professor. Two of her young men are our brother's and Hermione is like a sister to me. She already has so much on her plate and if this is true, then she has the right to know what is going on with her. She is so confused right now, she has been since the bloody marriage law came into effect. If the part that I understand is true, then this would explain a lot to her and it would help her to understand some of the things she feels. She has the right to know, Professor. She has the right to know," Ginny insisted, holding her head up high.

McGonagall looked the young lady in the eye, trying to make her squirm after speaking to her as she had. But she held her head high and unwavering, making the former Gryffindor head of house extremely proud of the young lady.

"Let me talk with a few people and get some council. I understand that you are concerned about your siblings and about Ms. Granger, but I can not help you until I contact a few individuals," she stated.

"We understand," Ron replied calmly, surprising his sister. Ronald had never been one to be calm about a situation, especially if he felt that he had the right to know. Luna really is quite good for him, Ginny thought, smiling at her brother and his fiancée.

"Is there a time limit that we can look for, Professor?" Luna wondered serenely, grabbing a hold of Ron's hand after placing her book in the bag that she had been carrying.

"Give me two weeks," Professor McGonagall said after a moment of thought. She had a portrait to yell at and some owls to send out. She wasn't sure how any of the converstations would go.

"Alright," Ginny replied, sighing. The professor raised an eyebrow at the disrespected sound, causing the young red head to grin sheepishly. "Thank you for your help."

"Your welcome."

Luna looked at the calendar that and realized that the next day would be two weeks exactly. She looked forward to finding out if her suspicions were correct, but most of all she was looking forward to her friend and potential future sister-in-law learning things about herself that she should have learned years earlier.

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"I love this show," Irina announced, laughing at the tall, lanky bloke that was on the television in front of them.

Hermione and Irina were having a much needed girls night in their room. Luna and Ginny had politely declined, both wanting to spend some time with their fiancée'.

"I know," Hermione agreed, laughing at the blond who was getting very frustrated with the man. "American TV is funny some times."

"I still like British TV better," the Bulgarian witch said, sitting up on the bed and throwing another handful of popcorn in her mouth.

"I do too, but I got rather addicted to this show awhile ago. They are brilliant writers. I don't know where they come up with this stuff," Hermione admitted, sitting up against the headboard next to one of her best friends.

"That song about the cat is hilarious," Irina laughed as the tall man had a lady sing the song to him while rubbing her belly. She couldn't imagine any man she knew wanting to have a song sung to them just because he wasn't feeling well.

"I love it. Can you imagine singing that to Viktor or Draco?" the Gryffindor princess asked, giggling hysterically.

"I was just thinking that no man that I knew would ever ask to have their belly rubbed and want to be sung to," she laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I bet that they might like to have their belly's rubbed."

Hermione blushed thinking about rubbing someones belly. She remembered the last time that she had snogged George and Fred. She had felt their rock hard stomachs through their shirts and had desperately wanted to feel the skin underneath. If Ginny hadn't been looking for here she probably would have.

"I think I would love to hear the story that coincides with that blush," Irina teased, smirking at her friend. "Which on of your blokes are you thinking of,hmm? Do tell."

"Hush, you," Hermione laughed, swatting at her friend. Irina grinned and threw a few pieces of pop corn at her, earning a squeal of protest. They quieted down for a few moments and watched as another episode of the program came on the television.

"So, who are you going to go to the Halloween Masquarde with?" Irina asked after a few minutes of watching the main characters dress up in outfits from a show from back in the 1970's to go to some meeting or class or something of the sorts.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted, frowning. "No one has asked me."

"What!?" Irina shrieked, sitting up quickly and pausing the DVD.

"No one had asked me to go to the masquerade with them," she stated again, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Don't you dare shrug your shoulders at me! I can't believe that there are three gorgeous guys and my brother who are trying to win you over and NONE of them have asked to go," the Bulgarian exclaimed, shaking her head. "Hell, I've only been here a few weeks and I have dates."

"What?!" Hermione exclaimed, taking her turn to be surprised. This was defiantly a new development. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? When did this happen? Who are you going with? Do you like him? Wait did you say dates, with an 's' at the end?"

Irina laughed." One question at a time please."

"Did you say dates with an 's' at the end?" Hermione asked, pulling a pillow in front of her and hugging it, ready to hear her friends story.

"Yes, I did," she admitted, turning to sit in front of the brown haired witch so that they could be face to face.

"Who are they? And how did you get them to agree to that?"

"One question at a time," Irina sing sang to Hermione.

Hermione sighed, throwing a one of her pillows at her friend. "Who are they?"

"Neville Longbottom and Blaise Zambini," she stated, causing Hermione to gasp.

"Those two could not be any different from one another," the female portion of the Golden Trio stated, shaking her head. "How in Merlin's name did you get them to agree to you having two dates to the masquerade?"

"I told them that I just got here and I didn't really want to be tied down quiet yet. I told them I wanted to get to know some amazing men and I thought that both of them fit that description."

"And that worked?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes, sort of. They could both pick me up in the common room and I would walk down with both of them. I told them I would take turns dancing with them and that if someone else asked me to dance, that I would dance with the person as well, but only for one dance," Irina informed her friend as if she was just reading off a list for groceries.

"That's amazing," the Gryffindor princess breathed, shaking her head.

"Not really," she shrugged. "I have to get married. They have to get married. They really didn't seem to mind my conditions." Irina got up and moved to one of the three desk in the room.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked, curious what her friend was up to now.

"Writing my mother and informing her that I have two dates. And that you have none," Irina replied.

"Don't do that," she pleaded with her friend, trying to get the parchment out of her hand.

"Why shouldn't I inform her that I have dates to the ball?" Irina innocently asked.

"You bloody well know that was not what I was talking about. Do not tell her that I don't have a date. I bet any day now one of them will ask me," Hermione insisted, watching her friends face to see if she would listen.

Irina watched Hermione for a good five minutes, before nodding a promise. "I will not write mum about you being dateless. For now. But, Nene, if none of these idiots ask you to the ball in the next five days, I'm going to hex all four of them. "

Hermione sighed but nodded, agreeing to the terms that she set. I truly hope they asked me, the Gryffindor princess thought as she went back to watching the brilliant three doctors and the one brilliant engineer.

**I am so proud of myself. I updated very quickly, didn't I? :) And can you guess what show I'm referring to? What do you think that Luna and Ginny are talking about? Please review. I didn't get very many reviews last time and they would make me feel a lot better. Happy Reading. **


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